Cytoplasmic Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is an antioxidant enzyme that converts superoxide to hydrogen peroxide in cells. Its spatial distribution matches that of superoxide production, allowing it to protect cells from oxidative stress. SOD1 deficiencies result in embryonic lethality and a wide range of pathologies in mice, but little is known about normal SOD1 protein expression in developing embryos. In this study, the expression pattern of SOD1 was investigated in post-implantation mouse embryos and extraembryonic tissues, including placenta, using Western blotting and immunohistochemical analyses. SOD1 was detected in embryos and extraembryonic tissues from embryonic day (ED) 8.5 to 18.5. The signal in embryos was observed at the lowest level on ED 9.5-11.5, and the highest level on ED 17.5-18.5, while levels remained constant in the surrounding extraembryonic tissues during all developmental stages examined. Immunohistochemicalanalysis of SOD1 expression on ED 13.5-18.5 revealed its ubiquitous distribution throughout developing organs. In particular, high levels of SOD1 expression were observed in the ependymal epithelium of the choroid plexus, ganglia, sensory cells of the olfactory and vestibulocochlear epithelia, blood cells and vessels, hepatocytes and hematopoietic cells of the liver, lymph nodes, osteogenic tissues, and skin. Thus, SOD1 is highly expressed at late stages of embryonic development in a cell- and tissue-specific manner, and can function as an important antioxidant enzyme during organogenesis in mouse embryos. PMID:18716442

Objective evaluation of cutaneous wounds through use of noninvasive devices has important implications for diagnosis, monitoring treatment efficacy, progression and may lead to development of improved theranostic treatment strategies. However, there is a lack of validation in the use of certain devices in wound repair, where objective measurements taken by noninvasive devices have been corroborated by immunohistochemicalanalysis. Thus, data from three acute wound-healing studies in healthy volunteers using three noninvasive objective devices were further evaluated by immunohistochemistry. One hundred ten participants had 5-mm diameter skin biopsies to their arms. Spectrophotometric intracutaneous analysis (SIAscopy), full-field laser perfusion imaging, and three-dimensional imaging provided quantitative measurements of melanin, hemoglobin, collagen, blood flow, and wound size; all of which were validated by immunohistochemistry. Full-field laser perfusion imaging showed blood flow increased to D7 and decreased by 40% to D14. SIAscopy showed that hemoglobin increased to D7 and reduced to D14. CD31 analysis corroborated this by showing a 76% increase in blood vessel density to D7 and a reduction by 14% to D14. Three-dimensional imaging showed that wound surface area reduced by 50% from day 7 to day 14. Alpha-smooth muscle Actin (Alpha-SMA) staining supported these trends by showing increased levels by 72% from D0 to D14 (corresponding to wound contraction). Collagen, measured by SIAscopy, decreased to D7 and increased to D14, which was validated by collagen III analysis. Additionally, collagen I increased by 14% from D0 to D14. SIAscopy measurements for melanin showed an increase at D7 and a slight reduction to D14, while melanogenesis increased by 46.7% from D0 to D14. These findings show the utility of noninvasive objective devices in the quantitative evaluation of wound-healing parameters in human skin as corroborated by immunohistochemistry. This may contribute

Visual function in monkeys is subserved at the cortical level by a large number of areas defined by their specific physiological properties and connectivity patterns. For most of these cortical fields, a precise index of their degree of anatomical specialization has not yet been defined, although many regional patterns have been described using Nissl or myelin stains. In the present study, an attempt has been made to elucidate the regional characteristics, and to varying degrees boundaries, of several visual cortical areas in the macaque monkey using an antibody to neurofilament protein (SMI32). This antibody labels a subset of pyramidal neurons with highly specific regional and laminar distribution patterns in the cerebral cortex. Based on the staining patterns and regional quantitativeanalysis, as many as 28 cortical fields were reliably identified. Each field had a homogeneous distribution of labeled neurons, except area V1, where increases in layer IVB cell and in Meynert cell counts paralleled the increase in the degree of eccentricity in the visual field representation. Within the occipitotemporal pathway, areas V3 and V4 and fields in the inferior temporal cortex were characterized by a distinct population of neurofilament-rich neurons in layers II-IIIa, whereas areas located in the parietal cortex and part of the occipitoparietal pathway had a consistent population of large labeled neurons in layer Va. The mediotemporal areas MT and MST displayed a distinct population of densely labeled neurons in layer VI. Quantitativeanalysis of the laminar distribution of the labeled neurons demonstrated that the visual cortical areas could be grouped in four hierarchical levels based on the ratio of neuron counts between infragranular and supragranular layers, with the first (areas V1, V2, V3, and V3A) and third (temporal and parietal regions) levels characterized by low ratios and the second (areas MT, MST, and V4) and fourth (frontal regions) levels characterized by

ABSTRACT Objectives To describe acute and sub acute aspects of histological and immunohistochemical response to PP implant in a rat subcutaneous model based on objective methods. Materials and Methods Thirty rats had a PP mesh subcutaneously implanted and the same dissection on the other side of abdomen but without mesh (sham). The animals were euthanized after 4 and 30 days. Six slides were prepared using the tissue removed: one stained with hematoxylin-eosin (inflammation assessment); one unstained (birefringence evaluation) and four slides for immunohistochemical processing: IL-1 and TNF-α (pro-inflammatory cytokines), MMP-2 (collagen metabolism) and CD-31 (angiogenesis). The area of inflammation, the birefringence index, the area of immunoreactivity and the number of vessels were objectively measured. Results A larger area of inflammatory reaction was observed in PP compared to sham on the 4th and on the 30th day (p=0.0002). After 4 days, PP presented higher TNF (p=0.0001) immunoreactivity than sham and no differences were observed in MMP-2 (p=0.06) and IL-1 (p=0.08). After 30 days, a reduction of IL-1 (p=0.010) and TNF (p=0.016) for PP and of IL-1 (p=0.010) for sham were observed. Moreover, area of MMP-2 immunoreactivity decreased over time for PP group (p=0.018). Birefringence index and vessel counting showed no differences between PP and sham (p=0.27 and p=0.58, respectively). Conclusions The implantation of monofilament and macroporous polypropylene in the subcutaneous of rats resulted in increased inflammatory activity and higher TNF production in the early post implant phase. After 30 days, PP has similar cytokines immunoreactivity, vessel density and extracellular matrix organization. PMID:27286125

Proliferating cells have been immunophenotypically characterized in lymph node and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples obtained from patients with active and inactive sarcoidosis with the cell-cycle-related antigen Ki67. Ki67 monoclonal antibody was used by combined immunohistochemical methods together with antibodies recognizing macrophage- and T-cell-subset-related antigens using avidin-biotin peroxidase (ABC) and alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) systems. Many proliferating Ki67+ cells were found in affected mediastinal lymph nodes. These cells were mainly located around granulomas and exhibited phenotypical markers of helper/inducer T cells (CD3+, CD4+). Ki67+ macrophages could not be detected in the same lesions with this technique. A different picture was found in BAL preparations where proportions of both T lymphocytes and macrophages were Ki67+. The presence of replicating lymphocytes could be correlated to disease activity, whereas the proportions of Ki67+ macrophages did not show significant differences between active and inactive disease. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) expression was investigated in the same samples with a specific antiserum. Epithelioid macrophages in granulomas and BAL macrophages in all cases exhibited cytoplasmic staining revealing an activated status. Interestingly, giant cells in granulomas were mainly devoid of IL-1 immunoreactivity. These studies support the concept that activated cells at different sites of ongoing inflammation play a central role in the mechanisms accounting for granuloma formation. ImagesFigure 1 PMID:3282443

Adrenal Cushing syndrome (CS) is caused by the overproduction of cortisol in adrenocortical tumors including adrenal cortisol-producing adenoma (CPA). In CS, steroidogenic enzymes such as 17α-hydroxylase/17, 20-lase (CYP17A1), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B), and 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1) are abundantly expressed in tumor cells. In addition, several transcriptional factors have been reported to play pivotal roles in the regulation of these enzymes in CPA, but their correlations with those enzymes above have still remained largely unknown. Therefore, in this study, we examined the status of steroidogenic enzymes and their transcriptional factors in 78 and 15 CPA cases by using immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), respectively. Immunoreactivity of HSD3B2, CYP11B1, CYP17A1, steroidogenic factor-1 (SF1[NR5A1]), GATA6, and nerve growth factor induced-B (NGFIB[NR4A1]) was detected in tumor cells. Results of qPCR analysis revealed that expression of HSD3B2 mRNA was significantly higher than that of HSD3B1, and CYP11B1 mRNA was significantly higher than CYP11B2. In addition, the expression of CYP11B1 mRNA was positively correlated with those of NR5A1, GATA6, and NR4A1. These results all indicated that HSD3B2 but not HSD3B1 was mainly involved in cortisol overproduction in CPA. In addition, NR5A1, GATA6, and NR4A1 were all considered to play important roles in cortisol overproduction through regulating CYP11B1 gene transcription. PMID:27085553

Recent experimental studies revealed that angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are closely related to chronic inflammation. The present study aims to evaluate quantitative changes of blood and lymphatic microcirculatory beds in cutaneous lichen planus (CLP) and psoriatic lesions using immunohistochemicalanalysis with antibodies to CD34, D2-40 and VEGF. Morphometric software was used to determine the area of blood and lymphatic vessels (BVA and LVA) and also the VEGF positive area. Statistical analysis of these parameters confirmed a significant enlargement of both the blood and lymphatic microcirculatory beds in psoriatic and CLP lesions. BVA in CLP lesions was increased by 56% however this augmentation was not as great as in psoriatic lesions where BVA was increased by 123%. Interestingly, LVA in psoriatic and CLP lesions was increased equally by 85%. The strongest VEGF expression was detected in psoriatic lesions, with lower, but still significant, overexpression in CLP lesions. VEGF-C was significantly increased in both psoriatic and CLP lesions in comparable level. Noticeably higher VEGF and VEGF-C expression was observed in the epidermis than in the dermis. Finally, our results indicate that the level of angiogenesis is considerably greater in psoriatic lesions than in CLP lesions, but the level of lymphangiogenesis is equal in both psoriatic and CLP lesions. PMID:25466990

Latest advances have brought to light the hypothesis that angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are tightly connected to some chronic inflammatory diseases. The present study focuses on immunohistochemical assessment of the quantitative changes in the blood and lymphatic microcirculatory bed in common chronic dermatosis - cutaneous lichen planus. Double immunohistochemistry with CD34 and podoplanin antibodies was used to detect blood and lymphatic endothelium, while anti-human VEGF was used for the observation of a key angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis inducer. Morphometric analysis was performed with QuickPhoto Micro image analysis software. Results confirmed statistically significant enlargement of both the blood and lymphatic microcirculatory beds. Compared to healthy skin, cutaneous lichen planus lesions revealed 1.6 times enlarged blood microcirculatory bed and 1.8 times enlarged lymphatic microcirculatory bed. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in lesional skin was significantly higher in the epidermis (19.1 times increase) than in the dermis (10.3 times increase). These findings indicate a tight association of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis with the pathogenesis of cutaneous lichen planus. PMID:25504638

Background: c Kit (CD117) expression in tissues has been reported as a relevant target for specific therapy in some human malignancies, but has been poorly documented in breast carcinomas Methods: The prognostic significance of c Kit in a series of 924 breast carcinomas (mean follow-up, 79 months) was investigated using standardised high-throughput quantitative densitometry of immunohistochemical precipitates in tissue microarrays. Results: c Kit was expressed in 14.7% breast carcinomas (and in 42 out of 586 node-negative tumours). In univariate analysis, (log-rank test) the score of c Kit expression correlated with poor patient outcome P=0.02 and particularly in node-negative cases (P=0.002). In multivariate Cox analysis, c Kit was an indicator of metastasis independent of 25 other concomitantly evaluated markers of prognosis. Logistic regression showed that c Kit ranked 10 out of 25 (P=0.041), and was included in a 10-marker signature that allowed 79.2% of the patients to be correctly classified in the metastatic or metastasis-free categories independently of hormone receptors and HER-2 status. Interestingly, c Kit was also a significant predictor of metastasis in node-negative tumours (2 out of 25 ranking, P<0.0001) and included in a six-marker signature of prognosis, correctly classifying 88.6% of the patients (P<0.0001). Conclusion: We concluded that, as assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry, c Kit is an independent prognostic indicator that could also potentially serve as a target for specific therapy in breast carcinomas. PMID:19513067

Background: Macrophages are important cells for the innate immunity. Circulating monocytes are attracted to tissues by chemotactic factors and become macrophages under the influence of their microenvironment. Several studies suggested that local and systemic upregulation of fibrogenic cytokines and downregulation of antifibrotic cytokine are central to the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF). Currently, there have been no attempts made to elucidate the presence and role of macrophages in OSMF. Aim: Our aim was to study the expression of CD68 in OSMF patients and to investigate the possible correlation of macrophages using CD68 in various histopathological grades of OSMF. Subjects and Methods: A prospective case–control study which included 40 patients was conducted after obtaining informed consent and Ethical Committee clearance. Ten cases were normal control and thirty cases had OSMF. Biopsy was performed and a quantitative study of macrophages was done using CD68 antigen and was immunohistochemically localized. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 17.0 version (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: OSMF was observed in male patients of a younger age group. The macrophage number in the patients of intermediate and advanced stage of OSMF was higher than that of the controls which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that CD68 plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of OSMF and can be regarded as a useful marker for assessing the progress of the disease. PMID:27057383

Sebaceous neoplasms encompass a range of lesions, including benign entities such as sebaceous adenoma and sebaceoma, as well as sebaceous carcinoma. The distinction of sebaceous carcinoma from benign lesions relies on histological identification of architectural or cytological features of malignancy. In this study we have assessed the diagnostic discriminatory ability of mitotic rate and immunohistochemical markers (p53, bcl-2 and p16) in a selected group of well circumscribed sebaceous neoplasms, incorporating examples of sebaceous adenoma, sebaceoma and sebaceous carcinoma. We found that mitotic rate was significantly higher in malignant lesions as compared to benign lesions, but none of the immunohistochemical markers showed a discriminatory expression pattern. In addition, we performed a mutational analysis on the same group of lesions using next generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The most commonly mutated gene was TP53, although there was no correlation between the p53 immunohistochemical results and number or type of TP53 mutation detected. CDKN2A, EGFR, CTNNB1 and KRAS were also commonly mutated across all lesions. No particular gene, mutation profile or individual mutation could be identified which directly correlated with the consensus histological diagnosis. In conclusion, within this diagnostically challenging group of lesions, mitotic activity, but not immunohistochemical labelling for p16 or bcl-2, correlates with diagnostic category. While a number of genes potentially involved in the genesis of sebaceous neoplasia were uncovered, any molecular differences between the histological diagnostic categories remain unclear. PMID:27311873

The time-dependent inflammatory cell reaction in human cortical contusions has been investigated during the first 30 weeks after blunt head injury. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out using CD 15 for granulocytes and LCA, CD 3 and UCHL-1 for mononuclear leucocytes. In order to provide reliable data for a forensic wound age estimation, the intensity of the cellular reaction was evaluated with a quantitative image analysis system. CD 15-labelled granulocytes were detectable earliest 10 min after brain injury, whereas significantly increased numbers of mononuclear leucocytes occurred in cortical contusions after a postinfliction interval of at least 1.1 days (LCA), 2 days (CD 3) or 3.7 days (UCHL-1), respectively. PMID:10433032

The testes of stillborn fetuses (from 13 to 28 weeks of gestational age), fetuses born alive (from 29 weeks of gestational age) who died a few days later, and infants dying 1 to 8 months after birth were processed for light and electron microscopy. Paraffin-embedded material was stained with the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) method for immunohistochemical detection of testosterone (T) in order to quantify the age-related changes in the number of T-positive interstitial cells. This number decreased progressively from the 24th week of gestation up to birth and remained unchanged up to the second month of postnatal life. During the third month of age, the number of T-positive cells rose markedly but fell again from the fourth month to the end of the study. The ultrastructural study revealed the following types of interstitial cells at all ages studied: fibroblast-like cells, myofibroblast-like cells, developed fetal Leydig cells, degenerating fetal Leydig cells and infantile Leydig cells with a multilobed nucleus and focal cytoplasmic accumulations of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and lipid droplets. Quantitative ultrastructural studies revealed that the changes in the number of fetal Leydig cells with age were similar to those found in the number of T-positive cells although, for each age studied, absolute values were higher in the ultrastructural study. The number of infantile Leydig cells increased with age. Images Figs. 1-4 Figs. 5-9 Figs. 10-11 PMID:2272896

Objective To develop an alternative model for studying the regenerative capacity of olfactory neurons. Study Design An immunohistochemicalanalysis of mouse olfactory epithelium transplanted to the cerebral cortex. Methods Strips of olfactory epithelium removed from donor mice at postnatal day 5 to day 20 were inserted into the parietal cortex of adult mice. Recipient animals were allowed to survive for 25 to 120 days and then perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde 1 hour after bromodeoxyuridine injection. The brains were processed, and frozen sections were obtained. Sections through transplant tissue were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and compared with normal olfactory epithelium. Results Graft survival approached 85% with mature olfactory neurons detected in 35% of the transplants stained for olfactory marker protein. Transplant epithelium resembled normal olfactory epithelium containing mature olfactory neurons and axon bundles. Conclusions Studies of olfactory neuron regeneration have been limited by the inability to produce cultures with long-term viability. Olfactory epithelial grafts to the cerebral cortex provide an alternative approach to the study of olfactory neuron regeneration. PMID:11801979

Background: Odontogenic epithelium plays an important role in the histogenesis of odontogenic tumors of the jaws. Ameloblastomas, which arise from odontogenic epithelium, are considered benign with little tendency to metastasize. Tumors require an adequate supply of oxygen and a way to remove their waste products. This can be achieved by angiogenesis. In situ quantification of the microvessel density (MVD) is a usual method for assessing angiogenesis. Moreover, angiogenesis may differ in subtypes of ameloblastomas and could play a role in determining the pattern of tumor growth. Aim: The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the expression of cluster of differentiation (CD34) in variants of ameloblastomas and to correlate and compare their expression to the aggressive behavior. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study which included forty paraffin blocks was conducted after obtaining ethical committee clearance. Ten cases of pyogenic granuloma were used as a positive control and thirty cases were of solid multicystic ameloblastoma (SMA), unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) and desmoplastic ameloblastomas. Angiogenesis was assessed using CD34 antigen and was immunohistochemically localized. Statistical analysis was carried out for comparative analysis with the help of ANOVA test, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and least significance difference test. Results: A significant correlation was obtained between the MVD of all the three variants, i.e., SMA, UA and desmoplastic ameloblastomas which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Increased MVD in the three variants, i.e., SMA, UA and desmoplastic ameloblastoma seen in the present study could suggest that the angiogenesis has an important role in tumor progression and aggressiveness of ameloblastomas. PMID:27194862

The elimination of ozone depleting substances, such as carbon tetrachloride, has resulted in the use of new analytical techniques for cleanliness verification and contamination sampling. The last remaining application at Rocketdyne which required a replacement technique was the quantitativeanalysis of hydrocarbons by infrared spectrometry. This application, which previously utilized carbon tetrachloride, was successfully modified using the SOC-400, a compact portable FTIR manufactured by Surface Optics Corporation. This instrument can quantitatively measure and identify hydrocarbons from solvent flush of hardware as well as directly analyze the surface of metallic components without the use of ozone depleting chemicals. Several sampling accessories are utilized to perform analysis for various applications.

CD146, a cell adhesion molecule, is overexpressed in a variety of carcinomas, including melanoma, prostate cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. The level of expression is directly correlated with tumour progression and metastatic potential. The most commonly affected organ for both neoplastic and non-neoplastic tumours is the skin. The objective of this study is to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of CD146 in canine skin tumours of epidermal or follicular origin in 53 squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs), 9 squamous papillomas, 7 infundibular keratinizing acanthomas (IKA), 21 trichoepitheliomas, 13 trichoblastomas, and 3 pilomatricomas. Immunohistochemical results showed that SCCs (90.6%), squamous papilloma (33.3%), IKA (85.7%), trichoepithelioma (85.9%), trichoblastoma (30.8%) and pilomatricoma (100%), respectively, were positive for CD146. The significant expression of CD146 in SCCs supports its importance as a useful treatment target. CD146 could also be used in differentiation of trichoepithelioma and trichoblastoma. PMID:26573287

A 10-year-old, Shih Tzu dog was presented with an enlarged, curled 2nd nail in the left forelimb. Digital amputation was performed and the mass was diagnosed as a nail bed keratoacanthoma (infundibular keratinizing acanthoma) histopathologically. There was no recurrence postoperatively. This is the first case report of a canine nail bed keratoacanthoma diagnosed by histologic and immunohistochemical examination including Ki-67 and p53 expression. PMID:26538676

A novel method of cardiac denervation by cryoablation has been developed experimentally. The technique uses liquid nitrogen delivered under pressure to ablate the principal sources of cardiac innervation--namely, the adventitia surrounding the aorta, pulmonary arteries, and veins. The technique has been verified experimentally both in vivo by physiological means and in vitro by quantitative immunohistochemistry and the measurement of myocardial noradrenaline concentrations. A 35 year old woman presented with intractable precordial pain, normal epicardial coronary arteries, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her symptoms were refractory to maximal medical treatment and she was thought to be unsuitable for either conventional myocardial revascularisation, autotransplantation, or allografting with the concomitant risk of transplant coronary artery disease. She therefore underwent cardiac denervation by the method developed in the laboratory. There was quantitativeimmunohistochemical evidence of extrinsic cardiac denervation associated with a considerable improvement in her symptoms. This improvement persisted during a follow up period of over 16 months. Images PMID:8280529

Background Canine mammary sarcomas (CMSs) are rarely diagnosed in female dogs, which explains the scarcity of immunohistochemical findings concerning those tumors. This paper presents the results of a retrospective study into CMSs and discusses the clinical features of the analyzed tumors, the expression of intermediate filaments CK, Vim, Des and α-SMA, and the expression of p63, Ki67, ERα, PR and p53 protein. Results Four percent of all canine mammary tumors (CMTs) were classified as CMSs, and they represented 5.1% of malignant CMTs. The mean age at diagnosis was 11.1 ± 2.8 years. Large breed dogs were more frequently affected (38.7%). The majority of observed CMSs were fibrosarcomas (2.1%). All CMSs expressed vimentin, and higher levels of vimentin expression were noted in fibrosarcomas and osteosarcomas. Ki67 expression was significantly correlated with the grade of CMS. Conclusions Our results revealed that CMSs form a heterogeneous group, therefore, immunohistochemical examinations could support differential and final diagnosis. Although this study analyzed a limited number of samples, the reported results can expand our knowledge about CMSs. Further work is required in this field. PMID:24321325

To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemicalanalysis in relation to the standard cytological examination of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with either a solid tumour or a haematological malignancy and possible leptomeningeal disease, 68 CSF-samples derived from 68 patients were examined. The sensitivity of immunohistochemicalanalysis was 0.54 and its specificity 0.98. Only one patient had a positive immunohistochemistry and a negative cytology. The gain of adding immunohistochemistry to cytology is nearly 8%. It is concluded that immunohistochemistry should not be used as a screening test for leptomeningeal disease in patients with cancer. PMID:2223585

According to regulations relating to implementation and rise of risk analysis in the petroleum activities issued by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, it is mandatory for an operator on the Norwegian Continental Shelf to establish acceptance criteria for environmental risk in the activities and carry out environmental risk analysis. This paper presents a {open_quotes}new{close_quotes} method for environmental risk analysis developed by the company. The objective has been to assist the company to meet rules and regulations and to assess and describe the environmental risk in a systematic manner. In the environmental risk analysis the most sensitive biological resource in the affected area is used to assess the environmental damage. The analytical method is based on the methodology for quantitative risk analysis related to loss of life. In addition it incorporates the effect of seasonal fluctuations in the environmental risk evaluations. The paper is describing the function of the main analytical sequences exemplified through an analysis of environmental risk related to exploration drilling in an environmental sensitive area on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Introduction Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in India. Clear evidence regarding inflammation being an etiological factor of cancer was found only in the last few decades. A major inflammatory component in the tumor tissue is Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAMs). The CD68 antibody is a marker for staining TAMs. Aim The aim of this study is to quantify the macrophage count in healthy oral mucosa and OSCC and comparing TAMs in different histopathological grades of OSCC immunohistochemically. Materials and Methods Thirty archival specimens of OSCC patients and 10 healthy biopsy samples were collected. Immunohistochemical staining was done using a CD68 marker. Statistical analysis was done using Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U test. Results Comparing CD68 expression in various study groups showed a significant difference (p=0.000). The pair-wise analysis showed different grades of OSCC, which differed significantly for CD68 expression from the normal oral mucosa. Conclusion The most significant cells present in tumor stroma are TAMs, which remain in close proximity to neoplastic cells and interact with them via several chemical mediators, which may serve to increase the invasiveness of the malignant epithelium. Dense infiltration of TAMs adjacent to tumor cells and islands vividly implies their role in tumor progression. PMID:27190959

Radiographic and immunohistochemical analyses were performed in two Holstein heifers with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD). Severe bone resorption, osteolysis and severe progressive periodontitis in submandibula due to dysfunction of leukocytes in heifers affected with BLAD were demonstrated by radiographic examination. Immunohistochemicalanalysis of lymph nodes using anti-CD18 monoclonal antibody demonstrated that CD18-positive cells were not found on those from a heifer affected with BLAD, whereas CD18-positive cells were clearly present in lymph nodes from a clinically normal heifer. These characteristic findings support the importance of adherence-dependent leukocyte functions in host defense. PMID:8548695

Expression of five zinc transporters (ZnT1, 4, 5, 6, and 7) of the Slc30 family in the mouse gastrointestinal tract was studied by immunohistochemicalanalysis. The results demonstrated unique expression patterns, levels, and cellular localization among ZnT proteins in the mouse gastrointestinal tra...

Purpose The aim of this study was to describe a case of lipomatous change in uveal melanoma. Procedures The patient presented with a 2-year history of blurry vision. A full examination of the right eye revealed a dome-shaped pigmented subretinal mass in the choroid with a thickness of 9 mm and a diameter of 15 mm. The eye was enucleated and prepared for histopathologic, genetic and molecular investigation. Results Histopathology revealed a small circumscribed area consisting of mature adipocytic appearing cells with abundant clear cytoplasm and small peripheral flattened nuclei within a spindle-cell melanoma of the uvea. The cytoplasm of the adipocytic cells stained negative for periodic acid-Schiff and Alcian blue and positive for Melan-A, HMB-45 and tyrosinase, confirming melanocytic lineage. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis confirmed trisomy of chromosome 6p22 and disomy of chromosome 3p13 in the nuclei of both the tumor spindle type B cells and in the nuclei of lipomatous tumor cells. Conclusions Lipomatous change can be added to the many histopathologic faces of uveal melanoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of lipomatous change in uveal melanoma performed with cytogenetic investigations. PMID:27239451

Actinic keratoses (AKs) is a keratinocytic neoplasm that typically develops on the face of elderly patients. Little is known regarding the clinical, dermatoscopic and immunohistochemical assessments of AK using topical diclofenac therapy. We sought to determine these assessments and evaluate the efficacy of topical diclofenac gel in AK. In this prospective, open-label study, 44 patients with 66 AKs were treated for 12 weeks with topically applied diclofenac (3% gel in 2.5% hyaluronic acid). Immunohistopathologic analyses were performed before and after diclofenac treatment using epidermal stem cell markers such as Cytokeratin 15 (CK15), Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and p63, in addition to proliferation markers (Bcl-2, Ki-67). Diclofenac gel was found to be effective in AK, including the hyperkeratotic type. Surprisingly, complete remission was observed at a significantly higher rate in Grade 3 lesions (p = 0.017). However, imunohistochemical and histopathologic examinations revealed that 12-week treatment periods may not be sufficient to fully cure AK. The immunohistochemical analyses revealed no change in the expression levels of CK15, CK19 and Bcl-2 following diclofenac therapy. However, the expression of Ki-67 (p = 0.042) and p63 (p = 0.030) exhibited a significant decrease after therapy. Dermatoscopy is an effective method for diagnosis of AK, and topical diclofenac sodium gel was found as an effective additional treatment modality. Since positive histopathological findings were detected in some patients even with significant remission, a 12-week treatment period should be extended even in patients presenting with positive clinical response. Importantly, anti-proliferative effects of diclofenac were demonstrated by decreased Ki-67 and p63 expression levels. PMID:23397597

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of E-cadherin, p53, and inhibin-α immunostaining in the differential diagnosis of hydropic abortion (HA), partial hydatidiform mole (PHM), and complete hydatidiform mole (CHM). E-cadherin, p53, and inhibin-α protein expression patterns were investigated immunohistochemically using paraffin -embedded tissue sections from histologically diagnosed cases of HA (n = 23), PHM (n = 24), and CHM (n = 23). Expression patterns of these markers were scored semi-quantitatively according to the staining intensity, percentage of positive cells, and immunoreactivity score. Classification of cases was established on histologic criteria and supported by the molecular genotyping. Immunostaining allowed the identification of specific cell types with E-cadherin, p53, and inhibin-α expression in all cases. E-cadherin expression was detected on the cell surface of villous cytotrophoblasts. We observed a marked decline in the expression of E-cadherin from HAs to PHMs to CHMs. The p53-positive reaction was restricted to the nucleus of villous cytotrophoblasts. Significantly increased p53 expression was observed in CHMs, compared with HAs and PHMs. The expression of inhibin-α was localised in the cytoplasm of villous syncytiotrophoblasts, and the expression of this marker was significantly higher in PHMs and CHMs than HAs. In conclusion, immunohistochemicalanalysis of E-cadherin, p53, and inhibin-α expression could serve as a useful adjunct to conventional methods in the differential diagnosis of HA, PHM, and CHM. PMID:26683836

In this paper a system for 3-D quantitativeanalysis of human spontaneous intracerebral brain hemorrhage (ICH) is described. The purpose of the developed system is to perform quantitative 3-D measurements of the parameters of ICH region and from computed tomography (CT) images. The measured parameter in this phase of the system development is volume of the hemorrhage region. The goal of the project is to measure parameters for a large number of patients having ICH and to correlate measured parameters to patient morbidity and mortality.

This paper provides a brief overview of software currently available for the genetic analysis of quantitative traits in humans. Programs that implement variance components, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), Haseman-Elston (H-E) and penetrance model-based linkage analyses are discussed, as are programs for measured genotype association analyses and quantitative trait transmission disequilibrium tests. The software compared includes LINKAGE, FASTLINK, PAP, SOLAR, SEGPATH, ACT, Mx, MERLIN, GENEHUNTER, Loki, Mendel, SAGE, QTDT and FBAT. Where possible, the paper provides URLs for acquiring these programs through the internet, details of the platforms for which the software is available and the types of analyses performed. PMID:16197737

Intestinal myofibroblasts (IMFs), also known as pericryptal fibroblasts, are found at the basement membrane of the intestinal epithelium. They are characterized by well-developed endoplasmic reticulum, cytoplasmic fibers, and fibrous extensions called fibronexi. IMFs have structural features in common both with fibroblasts and smooth cells. Vimentin, desmin, and α-smooth-muscle actin (α-SM) are markers commonly used to discriminate between IMFs and smooth muscle cells. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that, when α-SM and vimentin are positive in both IMFs and smooth muscle cells, desmin is negative in IMFs but positive in smooth muscle cells. In the adult intestine, IMFs play an important role in various functions, especially in tissue repair and scar formation during wound healing. In the embryonic intestine, however, wound healing does not occur, and to date, no studies have investigated the first appearance and subsequent evolution of IMFs. In this study, we have examined the human small intestine in embryos at 7, 9, and 11 weeks of development by ultrastructural and immunohistochemicalanalysis to shed light on the formation of IMFs during these early phases of organogenesis. At 7 weeks, the embryonic mesenchymal cells are similar to proto-myofibroblasts and may be the precursors of the IMFs detected at 9 weeks and more abundantly at 11 weeks by immunohistochemistry. These IMFs seem to mediate information flow between the epithelium and the mesenchyme and thus contribute to the development of the small intestine. PMID:21284092

Quantitative studies are increasingly found in the literature, particularly in the fields of development/evolution, pathology, and neurosciences. Image digitalization converts tissue images into a numeric form by dividing them into very small regions termed picture elements or pixels. Image analysis allows automatic morphometry of digitalized images, and stereology aims to understand the structural inner three-dimensional arrangement based on the analysis of slices showing two-dimensional information. To quantify morphological structures in an unbiased and reproducible manner, appropriate isotropic and uniform random sampling of sections, and updated stereological tools are needed. Through the correct use of stereology, a quantitative study can be performed with little effort; efficiency in stereology means as little counting as possible (little work), low cost (section preparation), but still good accuracy. This short text provides a background guide for non-expert morphologists. PMID:19960334

Oxidative damage to lipids and lipoproteins is implicated in the development of atherosclerotic vascular diseases, including peripheral artery disease (PAD). The paraoxonases (PON) are a group of antioxidant enzymes, termed PON1, PON2, and PON3 that protect lipoproteins and cells from peroxidation and, as such, may be involved in protection against the atherosclerosis process. PON1 inhibits the production of chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in endothelial cells incubated with oxidized lipoproteins. PON1 and CCL2 are ubiquitously distributed in tissues, and this suggests a joint localization and combined systemic effect. The aim of the present study has been to analyze the quantitativeimmunohistochemical localization of PON1, PON3, CCL2 and CCL2 receptors in a series of patients with severe PAD. Portions of femoral and/or popliteal arteries from 66 patients with PAD were obtained during surgical procedures for infra-inguinal limb revascularization. We used eight normal arteries from donors as controls. PON1 and PON3, CCL2 and the chemokine-binding protein 2, and Duffy antigen/chemokine receptor, were increased in PAD patients. There were no significant changes in C–C chemokine receptor type 2. Our findings suggest that paraoxonases and chemokines play an important role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis in peripheral artery disease. PMID:25993297

With the development of bio-imaging techniques, an increasing number of studies apply these techniques to generate a myriad of image data. Its applications range from quantification of cellular, tissue, organismal and behavioral phenotypes of model organisms, to human facial phenotypes. The bio-imaging approaches to automatically detect, quantify, and profile phenotypic changes related to specific biological questions open new doors to studying phenotype-genotype associations and to precisely evaluating molecular changes associated with quantitative phenotypes. Here, we review major applications of bioimage-based quantitative phenotype analysis. Specifically, we describe the biological questions and experimental needs addressable by these analyses, computational techniques and tools that are available in these contexts, and the new perspectives on phenotype-genotype association uncovered by such analyses. PMID:26850283

A number of industrial processes, especially quality assurance procedures, accept information on relative quantities of components in mixtures, whenever absolute values for the quantitativeanalysis are unavailable. These relative quantities may be determined from infrared intensity ratios even though known standards are unavailable. Repeatability [vs precisionhl in quantitativeanalysis is a critical parameter for meaningful results. In any given analysis, multiple runs provide "answers" with a certain standard deviation. Obviously, the lower the standard deviation, the better the precision. In attempting to minimize the standard deviation and thus improve precision, we need to delineate which contributing factors we have control over (such as sample preparation techniques, data analysis methodology) and which factors we have little control over (environmental and instrument noise, for example). For a given set of conditions, the best instrumental precision achievable on an IR instrument should be determinable. Traditionally, the term "signal-to-noise" (S/N) has been used for a single spectrum, realizing that S/N improves with an increase in number of scans coadded for generation of that single spectrum. However, the S/N ratio does not directly reflect the precision achievable for an absorbing band. We prefer to use the phrase "maximum achievable instrument precision" (MAIP), which is equivalent to the minimum relative standard deviation for a given peak (either height or area) in spectra. For a specific analysis, the analyst should have in mind the desired precision. Only if the desired precision is less than the MA1P will the analysis be feasible. Once the MAIP is established, other experimental procedures may be modified to improve the analytical precision, if it is below that which is expected (the MAIP).

Immunohistochemistry is a commonly used clinical and research lab detection technique for investigating protein expression and localization within tissues. Many semi-quantitative systems have been developed for scoring expression using immunohistochemistry, but inherent subjectivity limits reproducibility and accuracy of results. Furthermore, the investigation of spatially overlapping biomarkers such as nuclear transcription factors is difficult with current immunohistochemistry techniques. We have developed and optimized a system for simultaneous investigation of multiple proteins using high throughput methods of multiplexed immunohistochemistry and multispectral imaging. Multiplexed immunohistochemistry is performed by sequential application of primary antibodies with secondary antibodies conjugated to horseradish peroxidase or alkaline phosphatase. Different chromogens are used to detect each protein of interest. Stained slides are loaded into an automated slide scanner and a protocol is created for automated image acquisition. A spectral library is created by staining a set of slides with a single chromogen on each. A subset of representative stained images are imported into multispectral imaging software and an algorithm for distinguishing tissue type is created by defining tissue compartments on images. Subcellular compartments are segmented by using hematoxylin counterstain and adjusting the intrinsic algorithm. Thresholding is applied to determine positivity and protein co-localization. The final algorithm is then applied to the entire set of tissues. Resulting data allows the user to evaluate protein expression based on tissue type (ex. epithelia vs. stroma) and subcellular compartment (nucleus vs. cytoplasm vs. plasma membrane). Co-localization analysis allows for investigation of double-positive, double-negative, and single-positive cell types. Combining multispectral imaging with multiplexed immunohistochemistry and automated image acquisition is an

Mucin and mucin-like material are features of mucinous tubular and spindle renal cell carcinoma (MTS RCC) but are rarely seen in papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). We reviewed 1311 PRCC and identified 7 tumors containing extracellular and/or intracellular mucinous/mucin-like material (labeled as PRCCM). We analyzed these using morphological, histochemical, immunohistochemical, and molecular genetic methods (arrayCGH, FISH). Clinical data were available for six of the seven patients (five males and one female, age range 61-78 years). Follow-up was available for four patients (2-4 years); one patient died of widespread metastases. Tumor size ranged from 3 to 5 cm (mean 3.8). Of all cases, histological architecture showed a predominantly papillary pattern. Mucin or mucin-like was extracellular in one, intracellular in three, and both intra/extracellular in three cases. All tumors were positive for AMACR, vimentin, and OSCAR, while CK7 was positive in four. Mucicarmine stain was positive in all cases, PAS in six and Alcian blue in three cases. Five tumors were positive for MUC 1, but none were positive for MUC 2, MUC 4, or MUC 6. In only four cases, genetic analysis could be performed. Gain of chromosomes 7 and 17 was found in two cases; gain of 17 only was found in one case. Loss of heterozygosity of 3p was found in one case together with polysomy of chromosomes 7 and 17. No abnormalities of VHL, fumarate dehydrogenase, and TFE3 genes were detected. We conclude that PRCCM is a rare but challenging subtype of RCC that deserves to be further studied. In all the tumors, the mucin-like material was found in those stained with mucicarmin, but other conventional and immunohistochemical stains did not reveal consistent features of a single mucin. The molecular-genetic profile of these tumors was most consistent with that of typical papillary RCC, although one case had mixed genetic features of papillary and clear RCC. PRCCM has metastatic potential, as evidenced by

Automated quantitativeanalysis for pneumoconiosis is presented. In this paper Japanese standard radiographs of pneumoconiosis are categorized by measuring the area density and the number density of small rounded opacities. And furthermore the classification of the size and shape of the opacities is made from the measuring of the equivalent radiuses of each opacity. The proposed method includes a bi- level unsharp masking filter with a 1D uniform impulse response in order to eliminate the undesired parts such as the images of blood vessels and ribs in the chest x-ray photo. The fuzzy contrast enhancement is also introduced in this method for easy and exact detection of small rounded opacities. Many simulation examples show that the proposed method is more reliable than the former method.

Laser immunotherapy (LIT) has shown great promise in pre-clinical studies and preliminary clinical trials. It could not only eradicate treated local tumors but also cause regression and elimination of untreated metastases at distant sites. Combining a selective photothermal therapy with an active immunological stimulation, LIT can induce systemic anti-tumor immune responses. Imiquimod (IMQ), a toll-like receptor agonist, was used for the treatment of late-stage melanoma patients and glycated chitosan (GC), a biological immunological modulator, was used for the treatment of late-stage breast cancer patients, in combination of irradiation of a near-infrared laser light. To observe the immunological changes before and after LIT treatment, the pathological tissues of melanoma and breast cancer patients were processed for immunohistochemicalanalysis. Our results show that LIT changed the expressions of several crucial T cell types. Specifically, we observed significant decreases of CD3+ T-cells and a significant increase of CD4+,CD8+, and CD68+ T-cells in the tumor samples after LIT treatment. While not conclusive, our study could shed light on one the possible mechanisms of anti-tumor immune responses induced by LIT. Further studies will be conducted to identify immunological biomarkers associated with LIT-induced clinical response.

Our previous analysis using genome-wide microarray expression data revealed extreme overrepresentation of immune related genes belonging the Natural Killer (NK) Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity pathway (hsa04650) in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We followed up the microarray studies by immunohistochemical analyses using antibodies against nine members of the NK pathway (VAV1, VAV3, PLCG1, PLCG2, HCST, TYROBP, PTK2B, TNFA, and GZMB) and aortic tissue samples from AAA repair operations (n = 6) and control aortae (n = 8) from age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched donors from autopsies. The results confirmed the microarray results. Two different members of the NK pathway, HCST and GRZB, which act at different steps in the NK-pathway, were actively transcribed and translated into proteins in the same cells in the AAA tissue demonstrated by double staining. Furthermore, double staining with antibodies against CD68 or CD8 together with HCST, TYROBP, PTK2B or PLCG2 revealed that CD68 and CD8 positive cells expressed proteins of the NK-pathway but were not the only inflammatory cells involved in the NK-pathway in the AAA tissue. The results provide strong evidence that the NK Cell Mediated Cytotoxicity Pathway is activated in human AAA and valuable insight for future studies to dissect the pathogenesis of human AAA. PMID:25993291

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) molecule are used as an adjuvant to experimental tumor immunization protocols in the treatment of malignant melanomas and ovarian cancers. Aside from noted early therapeutic successes, a spectrum of adverse effects, including severe gastroenteritis, has been reported. We report herein our observations of 5 patients who developed severe gastrointestinal toxicity affecting the gastric, small intestinal, and colonic mucosa. The endoscopic findings were variable, ranging from normal to diffusely erythematous and ulcerated mucosa. The constant histologic findings included a lymphoplasmacytic expansion of the lamina propria with increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes. Increased epithelial apoptosis was also a distinctive feature. Cryptitis and glandular inflammation were observed in the colon, ileum, and stomach, whereas villous blunting was present in the ileal and duodenal mucosa. Immunohistochemicalanalysis revealed a marked increase of all T-cell subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) and of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells. We conclude that the panenteritis associated with injection of alpha-CTLA-4 mAbs demonstrates histology resembling autoimmune enteropathy. Furthermore, although the pathogenesis of immune dysregulation after the infusion of alpha-CTLA-4 mAbs remains unclear, we suspect that the increased number of regulatory T cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa may play a role in the pathogenicity. PMID:18545145

Context: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a group of highly diverse malignancies whose prognosis depends on the histologic type and associated factors like HIV positivity. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate eight cases of NHL for their histologic type and HIV positivity, since both are major prognostic factors for NHL. Settings and Design: Eight cases of primary NHL of the oral cavity were evaluated for age, sex, clinical presentation, and the histologic type, along with immunohistochemistry. These cases were also evaluated for HIV positivity. Materials and Methods: NHL cases which were diagnosed through the dental OPD and subsequent biopsy procedure were chosen. The patient data, including age, sex, location, clinical presentation, radiographic presentation, metastasis, and histologic subtype, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification were tabulated. Immunohistochemical markers were used to confirm the cell type. CD20 and CD3 were used for B cell and T cell, respectively. Subsequent western blot analysis was carried out for HIV detection. Results: 75% of the NHL was of B-cell type; of this, 83% was found to be diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is an aggressive variant. 62.5% of cases were found to be HIV positive. Conclusions: This study emphasizes the need for HIV investigation in NHL cases and the need to determine the histologic type, both of which significantly affect the treatment outcome and prognosis. PMID:25452932

For a peptide-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccine to work effectively in cancer treatment, it is significant that the target protein is expressed in cancer cells. Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) has been identified as a molecular target for immune cell therapy of cancer. We evaluated the protein expression levels of WT1 in various solid tumors, as well as mucin 1 (MUC1) or major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class l molecules. Seven hundred and thirty-eight patients whose tissue samples were examined by immunohistochemicalanalysis agreed to undergo DC vaccine therapy. The positive staining of WT1 in tumor cells was observed in 25.3% of patients, with only 8.5% of them showing moderate to strong expression; moreover, WT1 tended to localize in the nucleus and cytoplasm. A positive staining of tumor cells by an anti-MHC class l monoclonal antibody was observed in 98.6% and by an anti-MUC1 monoclonal antibody in 76.8% of the patients. In relation to the application of cancer-specific immunotherapy, these findings provide useful information for determining the efficacy of MUC1- and WT1-targeted therapy. PMID:27354645

The arrest-defective-1 (ARD1) gene has been reported to be important in yeast cell cycle regulation, and recent studies have shown that human arrest-defective-1 (hARD1) is related to cancer cell proliferation. To investigate the expression pattern of hARD1 protein in cancer tissues, immunohistochemicalanalysis was performed to analyze the hARD1 expression pattern in 400 cases of 19 types of common cancer and 133 non-cancer samples from 11 tissue types. hARD1 protein was expressed extensively in cancer tissues including glandular carcinoma and squamous cancer, and the positive rate was 71.5% (15/20) in urinary bladder cancer, 62.5% (30/48) in breast cancer and 57.1% (8/14) in cervical carcinoma. The average hARD1-positive rate was 52.3% in cancers and 31.5% in non-cancers, for which the difference was significant (p<0.005). Comparing the staining intensity of different fields in the same section, the hARD1 protein was highly accumulated in cancer cells when compared to the cells adjacent to cancer. The positive rate of breast and intestinal cancer was obviously higher than corresponding non-cancers (p<0.05 and 0.01). These findings suggest that the accumulation of hARD1 protein may be related to carcinogenesis of various types of cancer. PMID:19287988

Quantitative Fitness Analysis (QFA) is an experimental and computational workflow for comparing fitnesses of microbial cultures grown in parallel1,2,3,4. QFA can be applied to focused observations of single cultures but is most useful for genome-wide genetic interaction or drug screens investigating up to thousands of independent cultures. The central experimental method is the inoculation of independent, dilute liquid microbial cultures onto solid agar plates which are incubated and regularly photographed. Photographs from each time-point are analyzed, producing quantitative cell density estimates, which are used to construct growth curves, allowing quantitative fitness measures to be derived. Culture fitnesses can be compared to quantify and rank genetic interaction strengths or drug sensitivities. The effect on culture fitness of any treatments added into substrate agar (e.g. small molecules, antibiotics or nutrients) or applied to plates externally (e.g. UV irradiation, temperature) can be quantified by QFA. The QFA workflow produces growth rate estimates analogous to those obtained by spectrophotometric measurement of parallel liquid cultures in 96-well or 200-well plate readers. Importantly, QFA has significantly higher throughput compared with such methods. QFA cultures grow on a solid agar surface and are therefore well aerated during growth without the need for stirring or shaking. QFA throughput is not as high as that of some Synthetic Genetic Array (SGA) screening methods5,6. However, since QFA cultures are heavily diluted before being inoculated onto agar, QFA can capture more complete growth curves, including exponential and saturation phases3. For example, growth curve observations allow culture doubling times to be estimated directly with high precision, as discussed previously1. Here we present a specific QFA protocol applied to thousands of S. cerevisiae cultures which are automatically handled by robots during inoculation, incubation and imaging

Quantitative Fitness Analysis (QFA) is an experimental and computational workflow for comparing fitnesses of microbial cultures grown in parallel(1,2,3,4). QFA can be applied to focused observations of single cultures but is most useful for genome-wide genetic interaction or drug screens investigating up to thousands of independent cultures. The central experimental method is the inoculation of independent, dilute liquid microbial cultures onto solid agar plates which are incubated and regularly photographed. Photographs from each time-point are analyzed, producing quantitative cell density estimates, which are used to construct growth curves, allowing quantitative fitness measures to be derived. Culture fitnesses can be compared to quantify and rank genetic interaction strengths or drug sensitivities. The effect on culture fitness of any treatments added into substrate agar (e.g. small molecules, antibiotics or nutrients) or applied to plates externally (e.g. UV irradiation, temperature) can be quantified by QFA. The QFA workflow produces growth rate estimates analogous to those obtained by spectrophotometric measurement of parallel liquid cultures in 96-well or 200-well plate readers. Importantly, QFA has significantly higher throughput compared with such methods. QFA cultures grow on a solid agar surface and are therefore well aerated during growth without the need for stirring or shaking. QFA throughput is not as high as that of some Synthetic Genetic Array (SGA) screening methods(5,6). However, since QFA cultures are heavily diluted before being inoculated onto agar, QFA can capture more complete growth curves, including exponential and saturation phases(3). For example, growth curve observations allow culture doubling times to be estimated directly with high precision, as discussed previously(1). Here we present a specific QFA protocol applied to thousands of S. cerevisiae cultures which are automatically handled by robots during inoculation, incubation and

Accurate quantitativeanalysis of endogenous analytes is essential for several clinical and non-clinical applications. LC-MS/MS is the technique of choice for quantitative analyses. Absolute quantification by LC/MS requires preparing standard curves in the same matrix as the study samples so that the matrix effect and the extraction efficiency for analytes are the same in both the standard and study samples. However, by definition, analyte-free biological matrices do not exist for endogenous compounds. To address the lack of blank matrices for the quantification of endogenous compounds by LC-MS/MS, four approaches are used including the standard addition, the background subtraction, the surrogate matrix, and the surrogate analyte methods. This review article presents an overview these approaches, cite and summarize their applications, and compare their advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we discuss in details, validation requirements and compatibility with FDA guidelines to ensure method reliability in quantifying endogenous compounds. The standard addition, background subtraction, and the surrogate analyte approaches allow the use of the same matrix for the calibration curve as the one to be analyzed in the test samples. However, in the surrogate matrix approach, various matrices such as artificial, stripped, and neat matrices are used as surrogate matrices for the actual matrix of study samples. For the surrogate analyte approach, it is required to demonstrate similarity in matrix effect and recovery between surrogate and authentic endogenous analytes. Similarly, for the surrogate matrix approach, it is required to demonstrate similar matrix effect and extraction recovery in both the surrogate and original matrices. All these methods represent indirect approaches to quantify endogenous compounds and regardless of what approach is followed, it has to be shown that none of the validation criteria have been compromised due to the indirect analyses. PMID

A quantitativeanalysis of changes in porosity associated with sandstone diagenesis was accomplished with digital back-scattered electron image analysis techniques. The volume percent (vol. %) of macroporosity, quartz, clay minerals, feldspar, and other constituents combined with stereological parameters, such as the size and shape of the analyzed features, permitted the determination of cement volumes, the ratio of primary to secondary porosity, and the relative abundance of detrital and authigenic clay minerals. The analyses were produced with a JEOL 733 Superprobe and a TRACOR/NORTHERN 5700 Image Analyzer System. The results provided a numerical evaluation of sedimentological facies controls and diagenetic effects on the permeabilities of potential reservoirs. In a typical application, subtle differences in the diagnetic development of porosity were detected in Wilcox sandstones from central Louisiana. Mechanical compaction of these shoreface sandstones has reduced the porosity to approximately 20%. In most samples with permeabilities greater than 10 md, the measured ratio of macroporosity to microporosity associated with pore-filling kaolinite was 3:1. In other sandstones with lower permeabilities, the measured ratio was higher, but the volume of pore-filling clay was essentially the same. An analysis of the frequency distribution of pore diameters and shapes revealed that the latter samples contained 2-3 vol% of grain-dissolution or moldic porosity. Fluid entry to these large pores was restricted and the clays produced from the grain dissolution products reduced the observed permeability. The image analysis technique provided valuable data for the distinction of productive and nonproductive intervals in this reservoir.

The evolution of glaciated mountains is at the heart of the debate over Late Cenozoic linkages between climate and tectonics. Traditionally, the development of high summit elevations is attributed to tectonic processes. However, much of the high elevation of the Transantarctic Mountains can be attributed solely to uplift in response to glacial erosion (Stern et al., 2005). The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) provide an unparalleled opportunity to study glacial erosion. The mountain range has experienced glacial conditions since Oligocene time. In the higher and dryer regions of the TAM there is only a thin veneer of ice and snow draping the topography. In these regions landforms that were shaped during earlier climatic conditions are preserved. In fact, both glacial and fluvial landforms dating as far back as 18 Ma are preserved locally. In addition, the TAM are ideal for studying glacial erosion since the range has experienced minimal tectonic uplift since late Oligocene time, thus isolating the erosion signal from any tectonic signal. With the advent of digital data sets and GIS methodologies, quantitativeanalysis can identify key aspects of glaciated landscape morphology, and thus develop powerful analytical techniques for objective study of glaciation. Inspection of USGS topographic maps of the TAM reveals that mountain tops display an extreme range of glacial modification. For example, in the Mt. Rabot region (83°-84° S), mountain peaks are strongly affected by glaciation; cirque development is advanced with cirque diameters on the range of several kilometers, and cirque confluence has resulted in the formation of ``knife-edge'' arêtes up to 10 km long. In contrast, in the Mt. Murchison area (73°-74° S) cirque development is youthful, and there is minimal development of arêtes. Preliminary work indicates that analysis of DEM's and contour lines can be used to distinguish degree of glaciation. In particular, slope, curvature, and power spectrum analysis

Clinical acceptance of 3-D OCT retinal imaging brought rapid development of quantitative 3-D analysis of retinal layers, vasculature, retinal lesions as well as facilitated new research in retinal diseases. One of the cornerstones of many such analyses is segmentation and thickness quantification of retinal layers and the choroid, with an inherently 3-D simultaneous multi-layer LOGISMOS (Layered Optimal Graph Image Segmentation for Multiple Objects and Surfaces) segmentation approach being extremely well suited for the task. Once retinal layers are segmented, regional thickness, brightness, or texture-based indices of individual layers can be easily determined and thus contribute to our understanding of retinal or optic nerve head (ONH) disease processes and can be employed for determination of disease status, treatment responses, visual function, etc. Out of many applications, examples provided in this paper focus on image-guided therapy and outcome prediction in age-related macular degeneration and on assessing visual function from retinal layer structure in glaucoma. PMID:27503080

Vitiligo is a common skin disease characterized by the presence of well circumscribed, depigmented milky white macules devoid of identifiable melanocytes. On the other hand, hypopigmented mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare variant of MF which presents clinically as persistent hypopigmented macules and patches. Both disorders show a predominance of CD8+ T cells in tissue samples and hence the differentiation between the two diseases on clinical, histopathological and even immunohistochemical grounds may offer great difficulty. The aim of this work is to identity certain histopathological clues which might help to differentiate between the two diseases. The study included 54 patients (26 vitiligo patients and 28 patients with Hypopigmented MF). Skin biopsies were taken and examined by hematoxylin and eosin and CD3, CD4 and CD8 markers were performed for ten vitiligo and nine MF patients. We have found that epidermotropism, hydropic degeneration of basal cells, partial loss of pigment, preservation of some melanocytes, presence of lymphocytes within the papillary dermis, increased density of the dermal infiltrate and wiry fibrosis of the papillary dermal collagen were detected with a significantly higher incidence in hypopigmented MF rather than vitiligo (P-values < 0.0001, < 0.00011, < 0.00011, = 0.001, = 0.008 and = 0.001 respectively). On the other hand, focal thickening of the basement membrane, complete loss of pigmentation, total absence of melanocytes, as well as absence or sparsness of lymphocytes in the dermal papillae were seen much more frequently in vitiligo. Statistical analysis of these differences was significant with P-values < 0.00011, < 0.00011, < 0.00011, = 0.008 respectively, regarding these pathological criteria. We conclude that differentiation of hypopigmented MF from vitiligo is possible by relying on the histopathological clues described in this study. This is particularly useful in areas of the world where cost benefit is crucial. PMID:16436337

Detection of MUM1+ cells in follicular lymphoma (FL) tissues was previously found to be associated with poor prognosis in a single report, whereas the usefulness of Ki-67 immunostaining remains debated. Our goal was to establish whether these markers have predictive value for patients with FL. We analyzed MUM1 and Ki-67 expression using immunohistochemistry in biopsy samples from 434 patients from the PRIMA randomized trial. The MUM1 prognostic value was then validated in a cohort of 138 patients from the FL2000 randomized trial, using the optimal cutoff value obtained from the PRIMA cohort. The surface of positive staining was quantified using computerized image analysis. In the PRIMA cohort, both high levels of MUM1 positivity (cutoff value of 0.80%) and high levels of Ki-67 positivity (cutoff value of 10.25%) were significantly associated with a shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (P = .004 and P = .007 for MUM1 and Ki-67, respectively). In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model, only MUM1 retained a statistical significance (hazards ratio 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-2.37; P = .038) after adjustment for the maintenance arm of treatment and the follicular lymphoma international prognostic index score. In the FL2000 cohort, high levels of MUM1 positivity were significantly associated to a shorter PFS (P = .004) and to a trend toward a shorter overall survival (P = .043). This remained significant using a multivariate Cox regression model after adjustment for the follicular lymphoma international prognostic index and the treatment arm for PFS (P = .016). These results show that MUM1 is a strong and robust predictive immunohistochemical marker in patients with FL. PMID:25149549

Adenocarcinomas exhibiting gastric differentiation represent a recently described and uncommon subtype of non-human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cervical adenocarcinoma. They comprise a spectrum from a well-differentiated variant (adenoma malignum/mucinous variant of minimal deviation adenocarcinoma) to a more poorly differentiated overtly malignant form, generally referred to as gastric-type adenocarcinoma. Rarely, such tumors have also been described as primary vaginal neoplasms. Gastric-type adenocarcinomas exhibit considerable morphologic overlap with adenocarcinomas originating outside the female genital tract, especially mucinous adenocarcinomas arising in the pancreas and biliary tract. Moreover, they often metastasize to unusual sites, such as the ovary and peritoneum/omentum, where they can be mistaken for metastatic adenocarcinomas from other, nongynecologic sites. There is little information regarding the immunophenotype of gastric-type adenocarcinomas, and knowledge of this is important to aid in the distinction from other adenocarcinomas. In this study, we undertook a detailed immunohistochemicalanalysis of a large series of cervical (n=45) and vaginal (n=2) gastric-type adenocarcinomas. Markers included were cytokeratin (CK)7, CK20, CDX2, carcinoembryonic antigen, CA125, CA19.9, p16, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, MUC6, PAX8, PAX2, p53, hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 beta, carbonic anhydrase IX, human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2), and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins. All markers were classified as negative, focal (<50% of tumor cells positive), or diffuse (≥50% tumor cells positive) except for p53 (classified as "wild-type" or "mutation-type"), HER2 (scored using the College of American Pathologists guidelines for gastric carcinomas), and MMR proteins (categorized as retained or lost). There was positive staining with CK7 (47/47-45 diffuse, 2 focal), MUC6 (17/21-6 diffuse, 11 focal), carcinoembryonic antigen (25/31-12 diffuse, 13 focal

Irritation fibromas are recognized as fibrous lesions, usually reactive hyperplasias; however, the mechanism of enlargement is unclear. This paper reports on an abnormally large irritation fibroma of extremely gradual growth. The immunohistochemical features (CD34, α-SMA, vimentin, Ki-67, and TGF-α) of this irritation fibroma are presented to distinguish reactive hyperplasia from other true fibrous neoplasm diseases. In the only previous study, it was reported that the expression of TGF-α might be associated with the development of oral fibromas. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between this exceptionally-large fibrous lesion of extremely slow growth and the immunohistochemical reactivity of TGF-α, finding that, in contrast to the previous study, TGF-α was not expressed. This is the first study to evaluate the enlargement mechanism of such a large irritation fibroma using the approach of immunohistochemicalanalysis, and it indicates that such analysis can help elucidate the diverse causes and enlargement mechanisms of irritation fibromas. PMID:27408447

AIM: To investigate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), a group of proteolytic enzymes with a central role in extracellular matrix invasion and degradation, in stromal sarcomas. METHODS: 11 endometrial stromal sarcomas (four low grade tumours, seven high grade) were stained for MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9 using immunohistochemical stains. The surgical material consisted of nine hysterectomy specimens and two pelvic recurrences. Three hysterectomy specimens, removed for leiomyomas, were studied as controls. Staining area was evaluated using image analysis. RESULTS: Age at the time of diagnosis ranged from 21 to 67 years. Four of the 11 patients (three with high grade tumours and one with a low grade tumour) died of the disease, six remained free of disease, and one was lost to follow up. Staining for MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-9 was more diffuse in high grade tumours than in low grade tumours and controls. Staining for MMP-3 and MMP-9 was more pronounced in high grade than in low grade tumours (p = 0.04; p = 0.05). Staining for MMP-9 was significantly greater in all stromal sarcomas than in controls (p < 0.001 for high grade tumours v controls; p < 0.01 for low grade tumours v controls). Diffuse staining for MMP-2, exceeding 90% of the tumour area, was observed in three of seven high grade tumours but in no low grade tumours. There was no apparent correlation between staining for any of the three enzymes and survival. CONCLUSIONS: Both low and high grade endometrial stromal tumours express matrix metalloproteinases. MMP-3 and MMP-9 are expressed more diffusely in high grade than in low grade tumours. In the individual case, diffuse staining for MMP-2 appears to best characterise the high grade tumours. Thus staining for MMP-2 may aid in differentiating high grade from low grade tumours, and MMP-9 in differentiating normal endometrial stroma from low and high grade endometrial stromal sarcomas. MMP expression does not appear to predict disease outcome in

This is a retrospective case study of a 61-year-old woman diagnosed with follicular thyroid carcinoma. The patient underwent thyroidectomy for the treatment of goitre after being admitted for shortness of breath. Microscopic and immunohistochemical studies were performed, which confirmed follicular carcinoma of the thyroid with an insular component. We also conducted a review of the literature on this uncommon entity. PMID:22434304

Introduction Microenvironment is crucial for the maintenance of cellular functions and tissue integrity suggesting that cancer-induced changes in the stroma may contribute to cancer invasion and its biological behaviour. One of the major constituent of the tumour stroma is myofibroblasts. Myofibroblasts are differentiated host fibroblasts that express α-Sma as cytoplasmic microfilaments. They are considered as one of the modified stromal component which in recent years have been thought to have a role in the invasion and aggressive behaviour of odontogenic tumours too. Aim To detect immunohistochemically the presence of myofibroblasts in solid/multicystic ameloblastoma and in unicystic ameloblastoma and to see if a relationship exists between the frequency and pattern of distribution of myofibroblasts and the behaviour of ameloblastomas. Materials and Methods Ten cases each of solid/multicystic ameloblastoma and unicystic ameloblastoma were stained immunohistochemically for vimentin, α-SMA and desmin. The frequency and pattern of distribution of myofibroblasts in the two study groups were analysed and then compared with clinical and radiographic features of pain and cortical perforation respectively. Results Immunohistochemical reaction for α-SMA (alpha Smooth Muscle Actin) showed positive cells in the stroma of both solid/multicystic and unicystic ameloblastomas. The mean number of myofibroblasts was more in unicystic ameloblastoma (UA) compared to Solid/Multicystic Ameloblastoma (SMA). Myofibroblasts expression was dense and arranged in the form of fascicles with indistinct cell borders in one case of follicular ameloblastoma, two cases of plexiform ameloblastoma and in a focal area of one case of type 1UA. In all other cases where the expression was noted, the myofibroblasts were spindle in shape with distinct cell boundaries. Conclusion The results of the study indicate that myofibroblasts alone may not play a role in the behaviour of ameloblastomas. This

The major objective of this article was to report quantitatively the degree of human face symmetry for reported images taken from the Internet. From the original image of a certain person that appears in the center of each triplet, 2 symmetric combinations were constructed that are based on the left part of the image and its mirror image (left-left) and on the right part of the image and its mirror image (right-right). By applying a computer software that enables to determine length, surface area, and perimeter of any geometric shape, the following measurements were obtained for each triplet: face perimeter and area; distance between the pupils; mouth length; its perimeter and area; nose length and face length, usually below the ears; as well as the area and perimeter of the pupils. Then, for each of the above measurements, the value C, which characterizes the degree of symmetry of the real image with respect to the combinations right-right and left-left, was calculated. C appears on the right-hand side below each image. A high value of C indicates a low symmetry, and as the value is decreasing, the symmetry is increasing. The magnitude on the left relates to the pupils and compares the difference between the area and perimeter of the 2 pupils. The major conclusion arrived at here is that the human face is asymmetric to some degree; the degree of asymmetry is reported quantitatively under each portrait. PMID:26080172

This chapter discusses quantitativeanalysis of digital microscope images and presents several exercises to provide examples to explain the concept. This chapter also presents the basic concepts in quantitativeanalysis for imaging, but these concepts rest on a well-established foundation of signal theory and quantitative data analysis. This chapter presents several examples for understanding the imaging process as a transformation from sample to image and the limits and considerations of quantitativeanalysis. This chapter introduces to the concept of digitally correcting the images and also focuses on some of the more critical types of data transformation and some of the frequently encountered issues in quantization. Image processing represents a form of data processing. There are many examples of data processing such as fitting the data to a theoretical curve. In all these cases, it is critical that care is taken during all steps of transformation, processing, and quantization. PMID:23931513

Introduction: Basal cell adenoma (BCA) of the salivary glands is a rare benign salivary gland tumour. Differentiation of BCA from varied entities involving maxillofacial area is mandatory. Aim: To analyze the clinicopathological, histopathologic features, immunohistochemcal analysis and surgical considerations of this rare entity. Materials and Methods: This study included 12 cases of BCA from archives of department reported over the period of 13 years. All the pertaining clinicopathologic features such as incidence, age, sex and site of lesions were assessed. Tissue sections were stained by using panel of immunohistochemical markers, i.e. Pan CK, CK 5/6 and S100, Calponin, p63, CD 117 and smooth muscle actin. Results: BCA was observed in 26-52 years age group (mean age, 38.75 years) with female propensity of 7:5 male to female ratio. It is seen more commonly in parotid gland, followed by upper lip, buccal mucosa and palate. Solid type is the most common histopathologic type followed by tubular, membranous and trabecular. Only one case of membranous type of BCA showed recurrence. Pan CK, CK 5/6 showed strong immunoreactivity, calponin showed moderate staining, p63 and Ki-67 mild staining, whereas CD 117 and SMA showed negative immunostaining. Conclusion: Vigilant comprehensive analysis of all the pertaining clinicopathologic and histopathologic features and immunohistochemicalanalysis are required for differentiating from other lesions with basaloid differentiation having varying prognosis. PMID:25838763

We show optical evidence that demonstrates artists as early as Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin (c1425) used optical projections as aids for producing their paintings. We also have found optical evidence within works by later artists, including Bermejo (c1475), Lotto (c1525), Caravaggio (c1600), de la Tour (c1650), Chardin (c1750) and Ingres (c1825), demonstrating a continuum in the use of optical projections by artists, along with an evolution in the sophistication of that use. However, even for paintings where we have been able to extract unambiguous, quantitative evidence of the direct use of optical projections for producing certain of the features, this does not mean that paintings are effectively photographs. Because the hand and mind of the artist are intimately involved in the creation process, understanding these complex images requires more than can be obtained from only applying the equations of geometrical optics.

AIM To investigate the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs). METHODS Tissue microarrays containing 88 PanNENs were immunohistochemically labeled with antibodies to β-catenin, E-cadherin, adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), chromogranin and synaptophysin. One case had only metastatic tumors resected, whereas others (n = 87) received pancreatectomy with or without partial hepatectomy. Pathology slides, demographic, clinicopathologic, and follow up data were reviewed. Patients’ demographics, clinicopathologic features, and immunohistochemical results from 87 primary tumors were compared between patients with low stage (stage I/II) and high stage (stage III/IV) tumors. In addition, correlation of immunohistochemical results from primary tumors with disease-specific survival (DSS) was evaluated. RESULTS Strong membranous β-catenin staining in the primary tumor was observed in all 13 stage III/IV PanNENs as compared to 47% (35/74) of stage I/II tumors (P < 0.01). However, the strong membranous β-catenin staining was unassociated with tumor grade or DSS. Decreased membranous β-catenin staining was associated with decreased membranous E-cadherin labeling. Nuclear β-catenin staining was seen in 15% (2/13) of stage III/IV PanNENs as compared to 0% (0/74) of stage I/II tumors (P = 0.02). The case with metastasectomy only also showed nuclear β-catenin staining. Two of the three cases with nuclear β-catenin staining were familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients. Lack of APC expression was seen in 70% (57/81) of the cases, including the 3 cases with nuclear β-catenin staining. Expression of E-cadherin and APC in primary tumor was not correlated with tumor grade, tumor stage, or disease specific survival. CONCLUSION The Wnt/β-catenin pathway was altered in some PanNENs, but did not Impact DSS. PanNENs in FAP patients demonstrated nuclear β-catenin accumulation and loss of APC. PMID:27574554

We studied 36 glioblastoma cases at HC-UNICAMP from 2008 to 2012 and classified the immunohistochemical distribution of the wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mutated forms of p53 protein and isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH-1) and murine double protein 2 (MDM2). Immunostaining findings were correlated with clinical data and response to treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy). About 97% of the tumors were primary, most of them localized in the frontal lobe. Mean time free of clinical or symptomatic disease and free time of radiological disease were 7.56 and 7.14 months, respectively. We observed a significant positive correlation between expressions of p53 and MDM2, EGFR and MDM2. Clinical, radiological and overall survivals also showed a significant positive correlation. p53 staining and clinical survival showed a significant negative correlation. The current series provides clinical and histopathological data that contribute to knowledge on glioblastoma in Brazilians. PMID:26200049

In this study, the effectiveness of a corticocancellous block allograft for restoring alveolar ridge defects in preparation for the placement of dental implants was assessed. Significant ridge defects in four partially edentulous patients were reconstructed using an irradiated corticocancellous allogeneic block soaked in platelet-rich plasma, which was also covered with a resorbable collagen membrane. After 5 or 6 months, the sites were reentered and a trephine bone core specimen was obtained from each augmented site for histologic, histomorphometric, and immunohistochemical assessment. In all four cases, histologic evaluation of the augmented site showed areas of new vital bone formation around the graft material (mean newly formed bone fraction, 23.7%; mean total mineralized tissue fraction, 40.1%), in which osteocytes were frequently observed within the lacunae. Immunohistochemicalanalysis showed the presence of biomarkers commonly related to active bone formation (alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and bone morphogenetic protein-2), confirming that the biochemical environment was conducive to new bone formation. The findings of this study demonstrate that the use of allogeneic block grafts for restoring alveolar ridge defects prior to the placement of dental implants may be an effective and advantageous alternative to autograft procedures. PMID:26697555

Tumours of ovarian-epithelial type of the testis, including serous borderline tumours, represent very rare entities. They are identical to the surface epithelial tumours of the ovary and have been reported in patients from 14 to 68 years of age. We describe two cases of a 46- and a 39-year old man with incidental findings of intratesticular masses of the left respectively right testis. Under the assumption of a malignant testicular tumour the patients were subjected to inguinal orchiectomy. Histologically, the tumours were identical to their ovarian counterparts: They showed a cystic configuration with a fibrous wall and irregular papillary structures lined by partially multistratified columnar cells and areas of hobnail cells. Furthermore, there was mild cytological atypia with a proliferative activity of below 5% as proved by Ki67 staining; mitoses could not be detected. Immunohistochemically, the tumour cells displayed expression of pan-cytokeratin AE3, progesterone receptor, Wilms' tumour protein (WT1), and PAX8 (Paired box gene 8). Estrogen receptor was expressed in one case. Octamer-binding transcription factor-4 (OCT4), calretinin, thrombomodulin, and D2-40 were not expressed. Mutation testing of BRAF revealed a BRAF V600E mutation in one case, while testing for KRAS mutations proved to be negative in both. The BRAF mutated tumour showed strong cytosolic and membranous positivity for B-Raf also on immunohistochemicalanalysis. Comparative genomic hybridization of one case could not reveal any chromosomal aberrations. PMID:26197800

In this chapter the basic information on qualitative and quantitativeanalysis in CE is provided. Migration time and spectral data are described as the most important parameters used for identification of compounds. The parameters that negatively influence qualitative analysis are briefly mentioned. In the quantitativeanalysis section the external standard and internal standard calibration methods are described. Variables influencing peak height and peak area in capillary electrophoresis are briefly summarized. Also, a discussion on electrodisperssion and its influence on a observed peak shape is provided.

A routine for histogram analysis of images has been written in the object-oriented, graphical development environment LabVIEW. The program converts an RGB bitmap image into an intensity-linear greyscale image according to selectable conversion coefficients. This greyscale image is subsequently analysed by plots of the intensity histogram and probability distribution of brightness, and by calculation of various parameters, including average brightness, standard deviation, variance, minimal and maximal brightness, mode, skewness and kurtosis of the histogram and the median of the probability distribution. The program allows interactive selection of specific regions of interest (ROI) in the image and definition of lower and upper threshold levels (e.g., to permit the removal of a constant background signal). The results of the analysis of multiple images can be conveniently saved and exported for plotting in other programs, which allows fast analysis of relatively large sets of image data. The program file accompanies this manuscript together with a detailed description of two application examples: The analysis of fluorescence microscopy images, specifically of tau-immunofluorescence in primary cultures of rat cortical and hippocampal neurons, and the quantification of protein bands by Western-blot. The possibilities and limitations of this kind of analysis are discussed. Program summaryTitle of program: HAWGC Catalogue identifier: ADXG_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADXG_v1_0 Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. Ireland Computers: Mobile Intel Pentium III, AMD Duron Installations: No installation necessary—Executable file together with necessary files for LabVIEW Run-time engine Operating systems or monitors under which the program has been tested: WindowsME/2000/XP Programming language used: LabVIEW 7.0 Memory required to execute with typical data:˜16MB for starting and ˜160MB used for

The field of lymphatic research has benefited enormously from the discovery of "marker" proteins that permit not only the identification and quantitation of lymphatic vessels in tissue sections for tumor pathology but also the isolation of primary lymphatic endothelial cells for basic research. This chapter focuses on the use of these markers for the immunohistochemicalanalysis of lymphangiogenesis in both frozen and paraffin-embedded tissue sections and discusses current protocols including newer versions employing biotin tyramide amplification and their associated problems. PMID:27172944

Introduction Angiogenesis is a fundamental process that affects physiologic reactions and pathological processes such as tumour development and metastasis. It is the process of formation of new microvessel from the preexisting vessels. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate angiogenesis, macrophage index and correlate the impact of macrophages on angiogenesis in the central and peripheral giant cell granulomas by evaluating immunohistochemically microvessel density, microvessel perimeter and macrophage index. Materials and Methods Immunohistochemicalanalysis was carried on 20 cases of central and peripheral giant cell granulomas each for CD34 and CD68 proteins expression. Inferential statistical analysis was performed using Independent student t-test to assess the microvessel density, microvessel perimeter and macrophage index on continuous scale between Group I and Group II. Level of significance was determined at 5%. Further bivariate analysis using Pearson correlation test was carried out to see the relationship between microvessel density and macrophage index in each group. Results Microvessel density, micro vessel perimeter and macrophage index was higher in central giant cell granuloma compared to that of peripheral giant cell granuloma. Correlation between microvessel density and macrophage index among these two lesions was statistically insignificant. Conclusion Angiogenesis as well as the number of macrophages appeared to increase in Central Giant Cell Granuloma in present study. These findings suggest that macrophages may up regulate the angiogenesis in these giant cell granulomas and angiogenesis do have a role in clinical behaviour. However, we could not establish a positive correlation between microvessel density and macrophage index as the values were statistically insignificant. This insignificance may be presumed due to fewer samples taken for study. PMID:27134990

Thymomas are rare tumors that occasionally arise from ectopic locations. Ectopic thymomas originating within the thyroid gland are an exceedingly uncommon clinical entity that has only been described sporadically. In this study, we present the clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of 3 primary intrathyroidal thymomas. The patients were 2 women and 1 man between the ages of 43 and 53 years (average, 48 years). Clinically, the patients presented with neck pain or enlarged thyroid glands. Physical examination and thyroid ultrasound revealed the presence of nodular masses confined to the thyroid parenchyma. No concurrent mediastinal tumors were identified in any of the cases, and none of the patients had a history of thymoma. Fine needle aspirate performed in 1 case was interpreted as possibly Hashimoto thyroiditis. Surgical resection was performed in all cases. Grossly, the lesions were circumscribed masses measuring from 1 to 4 cm in size. Histologically, the lesions showed the classic biphasic cellular proliferation of thymomas characterized by varying proportions of epithelial cells and lymphocytes. Two patients remain alive and well 1.5 to 2 years after their surgical resection, whereas the third patient was lost to follow-up. The cases herein presented highlight an unusual tumor entity that can be clinically confused for more common lesions affecting the thyroid gland. Awareness of this entity is important to avoid misdiagnosis and secure appropriate clinical management. PMID:26826412

This study evaluated sexual dimorphism and seasonal variations in corticotrophs and adrenal zona fasciculata in dogs, as well as the expression of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα). An immunohistochemicalanalysis was conducted in pituitaries for ACTH and in adrenal glands for ERα and for the melanocortin-2-receptor (MC2R) in winter and summer. Double immunofluorescence was performed to identify ERα in corticotrophs. Females had a greater proportion of corticotrophs per field (p<0.01), with a greater cellular area and optical density (p<0.001) than males. Optical density of corticotrophs was greater in winter for both sexes (p<0.001). In zona fasciculata, ERα and MC2R expression was greater in females (p<0.001) and was greater in winter (p<0.001). ERα was identified in corticotrophs. This study is the first to demonstrate ERα expression in corticotrophs and the adrenal cortex in dogs, providing evidence for sexual dimorphism and seasonal variations. PMID:26850531

The feasibility of using smartphones and other mobile devices as the detection platform for quantitative scanometric assays is demonstrated. The different scanning modes (color, grayscale, black/white) and grayscale converting protocols (average, weighted average/luminosity, and software specific) have been compared in determining the optical darkness ratio (ODR) values, a conventional quantitation measure for scanometric assays. A mobile app was developed to image and analyze scanometric assays, as demonstrated by paper-printed tests and a biotin-streptavidin assay on a plastic substrate. Primarily for ODR analysis, the app has been shown to perform as well as a traditional desktop scanner, augmenting that smartphones (and other mobile devices) promise to be a practical platform for accurate, quantitative chemical analysis and medical diagnostics. PMID:25420202

In this paper, the procedure for conducting quantitative elemental analysis by ZAF correction method using wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) in an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) is elaborated. Analysis of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) system formed on a Ni-based single crystal superalloy is presented as an example to illustrate the analysis of samples consisting of a large number of major and minor elements. The analysis was performed by known standards and measured peak-to-background intensity ratios. The procedure for using separate set of acquisition conditions for major and minor element analysis is explained and its importance is stressed.

Chronic actinic dermatitis/actinic reticuloid (CAD/AR) is an eczematous hypersensitivity reaction to ultraviolet rays that can vary from mild eczematous cases to AR, the most severe cases which may resemble cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Diagnosis is based on clinical, histopathologic, and photobiologic features. In this study, we characterize the histopathologic and immunohistochemical features of 40 biopsies from 37 patients with established CAD. The cohort included 30 men and 7 women, ranging in age from 38 to 84 years (median, 62 years) and with a median duration of symptoms at presentation of 3 years (range, 1 to 40 years). All patients presented with erythematous lichenified plaques on sun-exposed areas. Severe cases (12/37) had extension to non-exposed areas. Positive photo-testing (20/20) and patch-testing (10/10) results, and cases with a high peripheral blood eosinophila (7/24) and HIV positivity (4/37) were noted. Skin biopsies demonstrated eczematous features including parakeratosis, acanthosis, spongiosis, and prominent dermal fibroplasia. Dermal dendrocytes were prominent in all cases with frequent multinucleated giant cells positive for factor XIIIa and S100 protein. Most cases displayed a brisk lymphocytic infiltrate with subtle exocytosis, atypical lymphocytes, and increased numbers of Langerhans cells, eosinophils, and plasma cells. There was a predominance of CD8 T cells within the epidermis (20/25) and a low CD4:CD8 ratio was noted in 20 of 25 cases. T-cell clonality studies were negative in 10 of 10 cases. CAD/AR may be difficult to distinguish from eczematous variants of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Important clues to differentiate both conditions include the identification of prominent dermal dendrocytes with multinucleated giant cells, eosinophils, plasma cells, and a low CD4:CD8 ratio. PMID:25238449

During pregnancy, an interpubic ligament is formed in the mouse pubic symphysis. In late stages, this ligament undergoes "relaxation" to allow proper delivery, which is expected on the 19th day. Proteoglycans and hyaluronic acid play an important role in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix in these tissues. Glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans were studied by electron microscopic, immunohistochemical and biochemical methods in samples of mouse pubic symphysis from the 12th to 18th day of pregnancy. At the ultrastructural level, using cuprolinic blue and enzymatic digestion by chondroitin lyases, two types of proteoglycan filaments were observed in the fibrocartilage on the 12th day, as well as in D 15, D 17 and D 18 pubic ligaments. The only sulfated glycosaminoglycan in these filaments was chondroitin sulfate, as shown by chondroitin lyase treatment. Their electrophoretic mobility, before and after enzymatic degradation, corroborated this inference. The ratio of chondroitin sulfate/dry weight of symphysis showed two phases of increase: between D12 and D 15, and between D 17 and D 18. We suggest that the first corresponds mainly to an increase in decorin when the ligament is formed, and the second to versican, during "relaxation". Versican and hyaluronic acid, working as water holding molecules would be responsible for the hydration of the ligament at the end of pregnancy, allowing an increase in resiliency. The presence of hyaluronic acid was confirmed by labeling with HA-probe in the perichondrium, fibrocartilage and ligament. The role of collagen fibers as physical restrictors of the complete expansion of glycosaminoglycans and hyaluronic acid in tissue is discussed. PMID:15951206

Purpose: To examine the contents and characteristics of seniors' online communities and to explore their potential benefits to older adults. Design and Methods: Quantitative content analysis of a full year's data from 14 leading online communities using a novel computerized system. The overall database included 686,283 messages. Results: There was…

Injection and immunohistochemical detection of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) has become the standard method for studying the birth and survival of neurons, glia, and other cell types in the nervous system. BrdU, a thymidine analog, becomes stably incorporated into DNA during the S-phase of mitosis. Because DNA containing BrdU can be specifically recognized by antibodies, this method allows dividing cells to be marked at any given time and then identified at time points from a few minutes to several years later. BrdU immunohistochemistry is suitable for cell counting to examine the regulation of cell proliferation and cell fate. It can be combined with labeling by other antibodies, allowing confocal analysis of cell phenotype or expression of other proteins. The potential for nonspecific labeling and toxicity are discussed. Although BrdU immunohistochemistry has almost completely replaced tritiated thymidine autoradiography for labeling dividing cells, this method and situations in which it is still useful are also described. PMID:18428635

An improved apparatus and method for the quantitativeanalysis of a solution containing a plurality of anion species by ion exchange chromatography which utilizes a single eluent and a single ion exchange bed which does not require periodic regeneration. The solution containing the anions is added to an anion exchange resin bed which is a low capacity macroreticular polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin containing quarternary ammonium functional groups, and is eluted therefrom with a dilute solution of a low electrical conductance organic acid salt. As each anion species is eluted from the bed, it is quantitatively sensed by conventional detection means such as a conductivity cell.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is driven by the oncogenic fusion kinase Bcr-Abl, which organizes its own signaling network with various proteins. These proteins, their interactions, and their role in relevant signaling pathways can be analyzed by quantitative mass spectrometry (MS) approaches in various models systems, e.g., in cell culture models. In this chapter, we describe in detail immunoprecipitations and quantitative proteomics analysis using stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) of components of the Bcr-Abl signaling pathway in the human CML cell line K562. PMID:27581145

Re-narrowing or restenosis of a human coronary artery occurs within six months in one third of balloon angioplasty procedures. Accurate and repeatable quantitativeanalysis of vessel shape is important to characterize the progression and type of restenosis, and to evaluate effects new therapies might have. A combination of complicated geometry and image variability, and the need for high resolution and large image size makes visual/manual analysis slow, difficult, and prone to error. The image processing and analysis described here was developed to automate feature extraction of the lumen, internal elastic lamina, neointima, external elastic lamina, and tunica adventitia and to enable an objective, quantitative definition of blood vessel geometry. The quantitative geometrical analysis enables the measurement of several features including perimeter, area, and other metrics of vessel damage. Automation of feature extraction creates a high throughput capability that enables analysis of serial sections for more accurate measurement of restenosis dimensions. Measurement results are input into a relational database where they can be statistically analyzed compared across studies. As part of the integrated process, results are also imprinted on the images themselves to facilitate auditing of the results. The analysis is fast, repeatable and accurate while allowing the pathologist to control the measurement process.

The Bcl-2 protein blocks programmed cell death and becomes overproduced in many follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas as the result of t(14; 18) translocations involving the Bcl-2 gene. Mcl-1 is a recently discovered gene whose encoded protein has significant homology with Bcl-2 but whose function remains unknown. In this study, we compared the in vivo patterns of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein production in normal and neoplastic lymph node biopsies by immunohistochemical means using specific polyclonal antisera. Intracellular Mcl-1 immunoreactivity was located primarily in the cytosol in a punctate pattern and was also seen in association with the nuclear envelope in many cases, similar to the results obtained for Bcl-2, which resides in the outer mitochondrial membrane, nuclear envelope, and endoplasmic reticulum. In 4 of 4 reactive tonsils and 28 of 28 nodes with reactive follicular hyperplasia, reciprocal patterns of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein expression were observed. Bcl-2 immunostaining was highest in mantle zone lymphocytes and absent from most germinal center cells, whereas Mcl-1 immunoreactivity was highest in germinal center lymphocytes and absent from mantle zone lymphocytes. Mcl-1 was also expressed in some interfollicular lymphocytes, particularly those that had the appearance of activated lymphocytes. Similar to the patterns of Bcl-2 and mcl-1 expression seen in reactive nodes, Mcl-1 protein was largely absent from the malignant cells in 2 of 2 mantle cell lymphomas, whereas strong Bcl-2 immunostaining was found in these cells. In contrast to normal nodes, however, the neoplastic follicles of t(14;18) containing follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas immunostained positively for both Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 in 24 of 27 cases. Intense immunostaining for Mcl-1 was also observed in Reed-Sternberg cells in 2 of 2 cases of Hodgkin's disease but Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was present at much lower levels. These findings demonstrate that the levels of Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 proteins are

Introduction The phenotype and function of immune cells infiltrating the conjunctiva in scarring trachoma have yet to be fully characterized. We assessed tissue morphology and immunophenotype of cellular infiltrates found in trachomatous scarring compared to control participants. Methodology Clinical assessments and conjunctival biopsy samples were obtained from 34 individuals with trachomatous scarring undergoing trichiasis surgery and 33 control subjects undergoing cataract or retinal detachment surgery. Biopsy samples were fixed in buffered formalin and embedded in paraffin wax. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed for assessment of the inflammatory cell infiltrate. Immunohistochemical staining of single markers on individual sections was performed to identify cells expressing CD3 (T-cells), CD4 (helper T-cells), CD8 (suppressor/cytotoxic T-cells and Natural Killer, NK, cells), NCR1 (NK cells), CD20 (B-cells), CD45 (nucleated hematopoietic cells), CD56 (NK and T-cells), CD68 (macrophages/monocytes) and CD83 (mature dendritic cells). The degree of scarring was assessed histologically using cross-polarized light to visualize collagen fibres. Principle Findings Scarring, regardless of clinical inflammation, was associated with increased inflammatory cell infiltrates on H&E and CD45 staining. Scarring was also associated with increased CD8+ and CD56+ cells, but not CD3+ cells, suggestive of a NK cell infiltrate. This was supported by the presence of NCR1+ cells. There was some increase in CD20+ cells, but no evidence for increased CD4+, CD68+ or CD83+ cells. Numerous CD45 negative cells were also seen in the population of infiltrating inflammatory cells in scarred conjunctiva. Disorganization of the normal collagen architecture was strongly associated with clinical scarring. Conclusions/Significance These data point to the infiltration of immune cells with a phenotype suggestive of NK cells in conjunctival trachomatous scarring. A large proportion of

Privacy information is prone to be leaked by illegal software providers with various motivations. Privacy leak behavior has thus become an important research issue of cyber security. However, existing approaches can only qualitatively analyze privacy leak behavior of software applications. No quantitative approach, to the best of our knowledge, has been developed in the open literature. To fill this gap, in this paper we propose for the first time four quantitative metrics, namely, possibility, severity, crypticity, and manipulability, for privacy leak behavior analysis based on Privacy Petri Net (PPN). In order to compare the privacy leak behavior among different software, we further propose a comprehensive metric, namely, overall leak degree, based on these four metrics. Finally, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach using real-world software applications. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach can quantitatively analyze the privacy leak behaviors of various software types and reveal their characteristics from different aspects. PMID:24066046

Privacy information is prone to be leaked by illegal software providers with various motivations. Privacy leak behavior has thus become an important research issue of cyber security. However, existing approaches can only qualitatively analyze privacy leak behavior of software applications. No quantitative approach, to the best of our knowledge, has been developed in the open literature. To fill this gap, in this paper we propose for the first time four quantitative metrics, namely, possibility, severity, crypticity, and manipulability, for privacy leak behavior analysis based on Privacy Petri Net (PPN). In order to compare the privacy leak behavior among different software, we further propose a comprehensive metric, namely, overall leak degree, based on these four metrics. Finally, we validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach using real-world software applications. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach can quantitatively analyze the privacy leak behaviors of various software types and reveal their characteristics from different aspects. PMID:24066046

Recent years have witnessed spectacular progress in the field of mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitative proteomics, including advances in instrumentation, chromatography, sample preparation methods, and experimental design for multidimensional analyses. It is now possible not only to identify most of the protein components of a cell proteome in a single experiment, but also to describe additional proteome dimensions, such as protein turnover rates, posttranslational modifications, and subcellular localization. Furthermore, by comparing the proteome at different time points, it is possible to create a "time-lapse" view of proteome dynamics. By combining high-throughput quantitative proteomics with detailed subcellular fractionation protocols and data analysis techniques it is also now possible to characterize in detail the proteomes of specific subcellular organelles, providing important insights into cell regulatory mechanisms and physiological responses. In this chapter we present a reliable workflow and protocol for MS-based analysis and quantitation of the proteome of nucleoli isolated from human cells. The protocol presented is based on a SILAC analysis of human MCF10A-Src-ER cells with analysis performed on a Q-Exactive Plus Orbitrap MS instrument (Thermo Fisher Scientific). The subsequent chapter describes how to process the resulting raw MS files from this experiment using MaxQuant software and data analysis procedures to evaluate the nucleolar proteome using customized R scripts. PMID:27576725

Background Piezosurgery is an osteotomy system used in medical and dental surgery. Many studies have proven clinical advantages of piezosurgery in terms of quality of cut, maneuverability, ease of use, and safety. However, few investigations have tested its superiority over the traditional osteotomy systems in terms of dynamics of bone healing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of bone healing after osteotomies with piezosurgery and to compare them with those associated to traditional bone drilling. Methods One hundred and ten rats were divided into two groups with 55 animals each. The animals were anesthetized and the tibiae were surgically exposed to create defects 2 mm in diameter by using piezosurgery (Piezo group) and conventional drilling (Drill group). Animals were sacrificed at 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days post-surgery. Bone samples were collected and processed for histological, histomorphometrical, immunohistochemical, and molecular analysis. The histological analysis was performed at all time points (n = 8) whereas the histomorphometrical analysis was performed at 7, 14, 30 and 60 days post-surgery (n = 8). The immunolabeling was performed to detect Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Caspase-3 (CAS-3), Osteoprotegerin (OPG), Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor kappa-B Ligand (RANKL), and Osteocalcin (OC) at 3, 7, and 14 days (n = 3). For the molecular analysis, animals were sacrificed at 3, 7 and 14 days, total RNA was collected, and quantification of the expression of 21 genes related to BMP signaling, Wnt signaling, inflammation, osteogenenic and apoptotic pathways was performed by qRT-PCR (n = 5). Results Histologically and histomorphometrically, bone healing was similar in both groups with the exception of a slightly higher amount of newly formed bone observed at 30 days after piezosurgery (p Immunohistochemical and qRT-PCR analyses didn’t detect significant differences in

We outline the use of quantitative techniques that are currently used for analysis of celiac disease. Image processing techniques can be useful to statistically analyze the pixular data of endoscopic images that is acquired with standard or videocapsule endoscopy. It is shown how current techniques have evolved to become more useful for gastroenterologists who seek to understand celiac disease and to screen for it in suspected patients. New directions for focus in the development of methodology for diagnosis and treatment of this disease are suggested. It is evident that there are yet broad areas where there is potential to expand the use of quantitative techniques for improved analysis in suspected or known celiac disease patients. PMID:25759524

Quantitative methods can be beneficial in many types of safety investigations. However, there are many difficulties in using quantitative m ethods. Far example, there may be little relevant data available. This paper proposes a framework for using quantitative hazard analysis to prioritize hazard scenarios most suitable for quantitative mziysis. The framework first categorizes hazard scenarios by severity and likelihood. We then propose another metric "modeling difficulty" that desc ribes the complexity in modeling a given hazard scenario quantitatively. The combined metrics of severity, likelihood, and modeling difficu lty help to prioritize hazard scenarios for which quantitative analys is should be applied. We have applied this methodology to proposed concepts of operations for reduced wake separation for airplane operatio ns at closely spaced parallel runways.

This paper describes the immunohistochemical techniques which can be used to detect cytokines and cell adhesion molecules in synovial membrane tissue, including a list of reagents and possible problems in each technique. It also describes three methods of quantitation of the resultant immunohistochemical detection, including the recent innovation computer-assisted digital video image analysis, and lists the advantages and disadvantages of each quantitation technique. This information will be a useful summary for any scientist interested in applying such techniques to the detection of cytokines and cell adhesion molecules in human tissue sections. PMID:10420385

Critical infrastructure resilience has become a national priority for the U. S. Department of Homeland Security. System resilience has been studied for several decades in many different disciplines, but no standards or unifying methods exist for critical infrastructure resilience analysis. Few quantitative resilience methods exist, and those existing approaches tend to be rather simplistic and, hence, not capable of sufficiently assessing all aspects of critical infrastructure resilience. This report documents the results of a late-start Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project that investigated the development of quantitative resilience through application of control design methods. Specifically, we conducted a survey of infrastructure models to assess what types of control design might be applicable for critical infrastructure resilience assessment. As a result of this survey, we developed a decision process that directs the resilience analyst to the control method that is most likely applicable to the system under consideration. Furthermore, we developed optimal control strategies for two sets of representative infrastructure systems to demonstrate how control methods could be used to assess the resilience of the systems to catastrophic disruptions. We present recommendations for future work to continue the development of quantitative resilience analysis methods.

Nonrandomized studies are essential in the postmarket activities of the US Food and Drug Administration, which, however, must often act on the basis of imperfect data. Systematic errors can lead to inaccurate inferences, so it is critical to develop analytic methods that quantify uncertainty and bias and ensure that these methods are implemented when needed. "Quantitative bias analysis" is an overarching term for methods that estimate quantitatively the direction, magnitude, and uncertainty associated with systematic errors influencing measures of associations. The Food and Drug Administration sponsored a collaborative project to develop tools to better quantify the uncertainties associated with postmarket surveillance studies used in regulatory decision making. We have described the rationale, progress, and future directions of this project. PMID:27196652

Quantitative 3D imaging is becoming an increasingly popular and powerful approach to investigate plant growth and development. With the increased use of 3D image analysis, standards to ensure the accuracy and reproducibility of these data are required. This commentary highlights how image acquisition and postprocessing can introduce artifacts into 3D image data and proposes steps to increase both the accuracy and reproducibility of these analyses. It is intended to aid researchers entering the field of 3D image processing of plant cells and tissues and to help general readers in understanding and evaluating such data. PMID:25804539

Despite its critical importance to global brain function, the postnatal development of the human pons remains poorly understood. In the present study, we first performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based morphometric analyses of the postnatal human pons (0-18 years; n = 6-14/timepoint). Pons volume increased 6-fold from birth to 5 years, followed by continued slower growth throughout childhood. The observed growth was primarily due to expansion of the basis pontis. T2-based MRI analysis suggests that this growth is linked to increased myelination, and histological analysis of myelin basic protein in human postmortem specimens confirmed a dramatic increase in myelination during infancy. Analysis of cellular proliferation revealed many Ki67(+) cells during the first 7 months of life, particularly during the first month, where proliferation was increased in the basis relative to tegmentum. The majority of proliferative cells in the postnatal pons expressed the transcription factor Olig2, suggesting an oligodendrocyte lineage. The proportion of proliferating cells that were Olig2(+) was similar through the first 7 months of life and between basis and tegmentum. The number of Ki67(+) cells declined dramatically from birth to 7 months and further decreased by 3 years, with a small number of Ki67(+) cells observed throughout childhood. In addition, two populations of vimentin/nestin-expressing cells were identified: a dorsal group near the ventricular surface, which persists throughout childhood, and a parenchymal population that diminishes by 7 months and was not evident later in childhood. Together, our data reveal remarkable postnatal growth in the ventral pons, particularly during infancy when cells are most proliferative and myelination increases. PMID:25307966

Informative capacity analysis of immunohistochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry (FCM) in the assessment of estrogen receptor α (ERα) expression in breast cancer tissue was performed. Similar frequencies of expression were shown by both methods: 27% of ERα-negative and 73% ERα-positive cases. However, IHC evaluation detected low levels in only 20% of ERα-positive cases, whereas low levels of ERα detected by FCM were 2 times more often (48%). Moreover, FCM revealed positive expression (23-60%) in 33% of IHC ERα-negative cases. Among IHC ER-positive cases, zero ERα expression was detected by FCM in 12.5%. The approaches to minimize errors in routine clinical determination of the estrogen receptor status were proposed. PMID:26728725

Low-grade central osteosarcoma (LGCOS) is a very rare low-grade malignant neoplasm that is often confused with a variety of benign fibro-osseous lesions. It rarely involves the small tubular bones of the feet. We present an unusual case of LGCOS arising in the third metatarsal bone of a 16-year-old boy. The radiographic appearance was suggestive of a benign lesion. An open biopsy was performed and the initial diagnosis was fibrous dysplasia. The patient underwent curettage of the lesion and packing of the bony defect with a synthetic bone substitute. Histologically, the curetted specimens consisted of spindle cells admixed with irregular bony trabeculae and osteoid. The spindle cells were fairly uniform with mild atypia, and cellularity varied from low to high. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were focally-positive for cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and p53, but negative for murine double minute-2. The MIB-1 labeling index was 36.7% in the highest focus. Cytogenetic analysis exhibited the following clonal karyotypic abnormalities: 48,XY,del(6)(p11),add(8)(q24),add(12)(p11.2),+mar1,+mar-2. Spectral karyotyping demonstrated that marker chromosomes were composed mainly of chromosome 6. Metaphase-based comparative genomic hybridization analysis showed a high-level amplification of 6p12-p21 and gains of 8q21-q24, 10p15, 12q13-q15, and 16q23-q24. Based on these findings, the final diagnosis was revised to LGCOS and the patient was treated with an additional wide excision, followed by reconstruction with a free-vascularized osteocutaneous scapular flap. At 18 months of follow-up, the patient is well with no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis. Our case highlights the diagnostic difficulty of this tumor with limited tissue samples and the importance of immunohistochemical and molecular cytogenetic analyses in ambiguous cases. PMID:23225447

Matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7) was speculated to have a key role in the development and progression of human cancer. Considerable studies investigated the relationship between its expression and survival in colorectal cancer (CRC), but inconsistent results were obtained. The clinical significance of MMP-7 overexpression in CRC remains controversial. Therefore, in this article, we conducted a meta-analysis to analyze the prognostic value of MMP-7 in CRC. We searched studies in PubMed, Medline, and Web of Science databases until August 2014 to find relevant studies. A total of six high-quality studies met the inclusion criteria and 1631 patients were included in our study. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) suggested that MMP-7 overexpression had an unfavorable impact on overall survival (HR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.24-2.71). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses further validated the role of MMP-7 as a predictor for prognosis. In conclusion, MMP-7 overexpression detected by immunohistochemistry indicated worse prognosis in CRC and may help to guide clinical therapy. PMID:26064217

Considerable variation exists among pathologist in the interpretation of intraepithelial neoplasia making it difficult to determine the natural history of these lesion and to establish management guidelines for chemoprevention. The aim of the study is to evaluate architectural features of pre-neoplastic progression in lung cancer, and to search for a correlation between architectural index and conventional pathology. Quantitative architectural analysis was performed on a series of normal lung biopsies and Carcinoma In Situ (CIS). Centers of gravity of the nuclei within a pre-defined region of interest were used as seeds to generate a Voronoi Diagram. About 30 features derived from the Voronoi diagram, its dual the Delaunay tessellation, and the Minimum Spanning Tree were extracted. A discriminant analysis was performed to separate between the two groups. The architectural Index was calculated for each of the bronchial biopsies that were interpreted as hyperplasia, metaplasia, mild, moderate or severe dysplasia by conventional histopathology criteria. As a group, lesions classified as CIS by conventional histopathology criteria could be distinguished from dysplasia using the architectural Index. Metaplasia was distinct from hyperplasia and hyperplasia from normal. There was overlap between severe and moderate dysplasia but mild dysplasia could be distinguished form moderate dysplasia. Bronchial intraepithelial neoplastic lesions can be degraded objectively by architectural features. Combination of architectural features and nuclear morphometric features may improve the quantitation of the changes occurring during the intra-epithelial neoplastic process.

MUC1, a member of the mucin family, is expressed in tumors of various human organs and may function as an antiadhesion molecule that inhibits cell-to-cell adhesion, inducing tumor metastasis, and served as a potential biomarker of tumor progression in early gastric cancer. However, its prognostic significance in gastric cancer is still in dispute. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between MUC1 expression and prognosis of gastric cancer. A total of ten eligible studies with 834 cases and 548 controls were included. MUC1 positive cases were highly positive in intestinal-type carcinomas (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.27–2.44, P = 0.0008 fixed-effect), higher rate of vascular invasion (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.13–2.39, P = 0.009 fixed-effect), and lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.20–3.67, P = 0.01 random-effect), as well as lower 5-year survival rate (HR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.11–0.66, P = 0.004 random-effect). However, the presence of MUC1 was not associated with gender, tumor size, histologic differentiation, and clinical stage. In summary, MUC1 is a prognostic factor in gastric cancer, which acts as a marker of poor outcome in patients with gastric cancer. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the role of MUC1 in clinical practice. PMID:27190429

Studies of acetylcholine degrading enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have suggested their potential role in the development of fibrillar amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques (amyloid plaques). A recent genome-wide association study analysis identified a novel association between genetic variations in the BCHE locus and amyloid burden. We studied BChE immunoreactivity in hippocampal tissue sections from AD and control cases, and examined its relationship with amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), dystrophic neurites (DN) and neuropil threads (NT). Compared to controls, AD cases had greater BChE immunoreactivity in hippocampal neurons and neuropils in CA2/3, but not in the CA1, CA4 and dentate gyrus. The majority of amyloid plaques (> 80%, using a pan-amyloid marker X-34) contained discrete neuritic clusters which were dual-labeled with antibodies against BChE and phosphorylated tau (clone AT8). There was no association between overall regional BChE immunoreaction intensity and amyloid plaque burden. In contrast to previous reports, BChE was localized in only a fraction (~10%) of classic NFT (positive for X-34). A similar proportion of BChE-immunoreactive pyramidal cells were AT8 immunoreactive. Greater NFT and DN loads were associated with greater BChE immunoreaction intensity in CA2/3, but not in CA1, CA4 and dentate gyrus. Our results demonstrate that in AD hippocampus, BChE accumulates in neurons and plaque-associated neuritic clusters, but only in a small proportion of NFT. The association between greater neurofibrillary pathology burden and markedly increased BChE immunoreactivity, observed selectively in CA2/3 region, could reflect a novel compensatory mechanism. Since CA2/3 is generally considered more resistant to AD pathology, BChE upregulation could impact the cholinergic modulation of glutamate neurotransmission to prevent/reduce neuronal excitotoxicity in AD hippocampus. PMID:26293308

Chemoresistance is a common mode of therapy failure for many cancers. Tumours develop resistance to chemotherapeutics through a variety of mechanisms, with proteins serving pivotal roles. Changes in protein conformations and interactions affect the cellular response to environmental conditions contributing to the development of new phenotypes. The ability to understand how protein interaction networks adapt to yield new function or alter phenotype is limited by the inability to determine structural and protein interaction changes on a proteomic scale. Here, chemical crosslinking and mass spectrometry were employed to quantify changes in protein structures and interactions in multidrug-resistant human carcinoma cells. Quantitativeanalysis of the largest crosslinking-derived, protein interaction network comprising 1,391 crosslinked peptides allows for ‘edgotype' analysis in a cell model of chemoresistance. We detect consistent changes to protein interactions and structures, including those involving cytokeratins, topoisomerase-2-alpha, and post-translationally modified histones, which correlate with a chemoresistant phenotype. PMID:26235782

Chemoresistance is a common mode of therapy failure for many cancers. Tumours develop resistance to chemotherapeutics through a variety of mechanisms, with proteins serving pivotal roles. Changes in protein conformations and interactions affect the cellular response to environmental conditions contributing to the development of new phenotypes. The ability to understand how protein interaction networks adapt to yield new function or alter phenotype is limited by the inability to determine structural and protein interaction changes on a proteomic scale. Here, chemical crosslinking and mass spectrometry were employed to quantify changes in protein structures and interactions in multidrug-resistant human carcinoma cells. Quantitativeanalysis of the largest crosslinking-derived, protein interaction network comprising 1,391 crosslinked peptides allows for 'edgotype' analysis in a cell model of chemoresistance. We detect consistent changes to protein interactions and structures, including those involving cytokeratins, topoisomerase-2-alpha, and post-translationally modified histones, which correlate with a chemoresistant phenotype. PMID:26235782

The number of applications of chemometrics to series of NMR spectra is rapidly increasing due to an emerging interest for quantitative NMR spectroscopy e.g. in the pharmaceutical and food industries. This paper gives an analysis of advantages and limitations of applying the two most common chemometric procedures, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR), to a designed set of 231 simple alcohol mixture (propanol, butanol and pentanol) 1H 400 MHz spectra. The study clearly demonstrates that the major advantage of chemometrics is the visualisation of larger data structures which adds a new exploratory dimension to NMR research. While robustness and powerful data visualisation and exploration are the main qualities of the PCA method, the study demonstrates that the bilinear MCR method is an even more powerful method for resolving pure component NMR spectra from mixtures when certain conditions are met.

It is known that patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) showed sudden unexplained death (SUD), in which autopsy failed to identify causes of death. Although the involvement of brainstem dysfunction is speculated, the detailed neuropathological analysis still remains to be performed. In order to clarify pathogenesis, we investigated the brainstem functions in autopsy cases of SMID showing SUD. We immunohistochemically examined expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase, tryptophan hydroxylase, substance P, methionine-enkephalin, and c-fos in the serial sections of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata in eight SUD cases and seven controls, having neither unexplained death nor pathological changes in the brain. Expressions of tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase were reduced in two of eight cases, and those of substance P and/or methionine-enkephalin were augmented in the pons and medulla oblongata in seven of eight cases, including the aforementioned two cases, when compared with those in controls. The hypoglossal nucleus and/or the dorsal vagal nucleus demonstrated increased neuronal immunoreactivity for c-fos in seven of eight cases, although there was no neuronal loss or gliosis in both the nuclei. Controls rarely showed immunoreactivity for c-fos in the medulla oblongata. These data suggest the possible involvement of brainstem dysfunction in SUD in patients with SMID, and consecutive neurophysiological evaluation of brainstem functions, such as all-night polysomnography and blink reflex, may be useful for the prevention of SUD, because some parameters in the neurophysiological examination are known to be related to the brainstem catecholamine neurons and the spinal tract nucleus of trigeminal nerve. PMID:27445960

Glioblastoma (GBM) can be classified into molecular subgroups, on the basis of biomarker expression. Here, we classified our cohort of 163 adult GBMs into molecular subgroups according to the expression of proteins encoded by genes of alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and TP53. We focused on the survival rate of molecular subgroups, depending on each and various combination of these biomarkers. ATRX, IDH1 and p53 protein expression were evaluated immunohistochemically and Kaplan-Meier analysis were carried out in each group. A total of 15.3% of enrolled GBMs demonstrated loss of ATRX expression (ATRX-), 10.4% expressed an aberrant IDH1 R132H protein (IDH1+), and 48.4% exhibited p53 overexpression (p53+). Survival differences were statistically significant when single protein expression or different combinations of expression of these proteins were analyzed. In conclusion, in the case of single protein expression, the patients with each IDH1+, or ATRX-, or p53- GBMs showed better survival than patients with counterparts protein expressed GBMs. In the case of double protein pairs, the patients with ATRX-/p53-, ATRX-/IDH1+, and IDH1+/p53- GBMs revealed better survival than the patients with GBMs with the remained pairs. In the case of triple protein combinations, the patients with ATRX-/p53-/IDH+ showed statistically significant survival gain than the patients with remained combination of proteins-expression status. Therefore, these three biomarkers, individually and as a combination, can stratify GBMs into prognostically relevant subgroups and have strong prognostic values in adult GBMs. PMID:27478330

Glioblastoma (GBM) can be classified into molecular subgroups, on the basis of biomarker expression. Here, we classified our cohort of 163 adult GBMs into molecular subgroups according to the expression of proteins encoded by genes of alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and TP53. We focused on the survival rate of molecular subgroups, depending on each and various combination of these biomarkers. ATRX, IDH1 and p53 protein expression were evaluated immunohistochemically and Kaplan-Meier analysis were carried out in each group. A total of 15.3% of enrolled GBMs demonstrated loss of ATRX expression (ATRX-), 10.4% expressed an aberrant IDH1 R132H protein (IDH1+), and 48.4% exhibited p53 overexpression (p53+). Survival differences were statistically significant when single protein expression or different combinations of expression of these proteins were analyzed. In conclusion, in the case of single protein expression, the patients with each IDH1+, or ATRX-, or p53- GBMs showed better survival than patients with counterparts protein expressed GBMs. In the case of double protein pairs, the patients with ATRX-/p53-, ATRX-/IDH1+, and IDH1+/p53- GBMs revealed better survival than the patients with GBMs with the remained pairs. In the case of triple protein combinations, the patients with ATRX-/p53-/IDH+ showed statistically significant survival gain than the patients with remained combination of proteins-expression status. Therefore, these three biomarkers, individually and as a combination, can stratify GBMs into prognostically relevant subgroups and have strong prognostic values in adult GBMs. PMID:27478330

A digital image analysis system has been developed to allow advanced quantitative measurement of microstructural features. This capability is maintained as part of the microscopy facility at Sandia, Livermore. The system records images digitally, eliminating the use of film. Images obtained from other sources may also be imported into the system. Subsequent digital image processing enhances image appearance through the contrast and brightness adjustments. The system measures a variety of user-defined microstructural features--including area fraction, particle size and spatial distributions, grain sizes and orientations of elongated particles. These measurements are made in a semi-automatic mode through the use of macro programs and a computer controlled translation stage. A routine has been developed to create large montages of 50+ separate images. Individual image frames are matched to the nearest pixel to create seamless montages. Results from three different studies are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the system.

Technological developments make mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics a central pillar of biochemical research. MS has been very successful in cell culture systems, where sample amounts are not limiting. To extend its capabilities to extremely small, physiologically distinct cell types isolated from tissue, we developed a high sensitivity chromatographic system that measures nanogram protein mixtures for 8 h with very high resolution. This technology is based on splitting gradient effluents into a capture capillary and provides an inherent technical replicate. In a single analysis, this allowed us to characterize kidney glomeruli isolated by laser capture microdissection to a depth of more than 2,400 proteins. From pooled pancreatic islets of Langerhans, another type of “miniorgan,” we obtained an in-depth proteome of 6,873 proteins, many of them involved in diabetes. We quantitatively compared the proteome of single islets, containing 2,000–4,000 cells, treated with high or low glucose levels, and covered most of the characteristic functions of beta cells. Our ultrasensitive analysis recapitulated known hyperglycemic changes but we also find components up-regulated such as the mitochondrial stress regulator Park7. Direct proteomic analysis of functionally distinct cellular structures opens up perspectives in physiology and pathology. PMID:19846766

Programmed cell death 1/programmed cell death ligand (PD-1/PD-Ls) axis is crucial for the modulation of immune responses and self-tolerance. Also, aberrant PD-L1 expression on the tumor cells or tumor-associated inflammatory cells accelerates immune evasion of tumor cells. In the past decade, PD-1/PD-L immune checkpoint inhibitors were introduced to cancer treatment trials and, in some cases, showed significant anticancer effects. PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining is considered a potential predictor of clinical response to PD-1/PD-L immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. However, immunohistochemical data on PD-L1 expression in different types of cancer especially rare entities remain incomplete. In this study, PD-L1 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in 5536 tumors including germ cell, epithelial, mesenchymal, melanocytic/neuroectodermal, and lymphohematopoietic tumors, as well as in a set of human normal tissues including a fetus. Immunohistochemicalanalysis was performed with E1L3N rabbit monoclonal antibody and Leica Bond Max automation using multitumor blocks containing up to 70 tumor samples. PD-L1 was constitutively and strongly expressed in placental trophoblasts as well as choriocarcinomas and trophoblastic components of germ cell tumors. Also, the neoplastic cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma, schwannoma, thymoma, and squamous cell carcinoma of various sites frequently expressed PD-L1. In gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, PD-L1-expression was associated with EBER positivity and mismatch-repair deficiency. In addition, PD-L1 was variably expressed in non-neoplastic macrophages and dendritic cells. PD-L1 immunohistochemistry may have some role in the immunophenotypic differential diagnosis of tumors and pinpointing potential candidates for anti-PD-1/PD-L immune checkpoint therapy. PMID:27158757

Two cancer testis antigens, the New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1) and the melanoma-antigen family A (MAGE-A), represent promising immunotherapy targets due to the low expression of these antigens in nonmalignant tissue. To assess overexpression patterns in various cancers, we performed a systematic immunohistochemicalanalysis for NY-ESO-1 and MAGE-A on tissue array samples of 3668 common epithelial carcinomas (CA) and germ cell tumors of high prevalence and mortality. Here, we find significantly higher expression of MAGE-A (>50% on tumor cells) compared with NY-ESO-1 in several CAs including cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) (52.8%/2.8%), esophageal SCC (50%/0%), head and neck SCC (41.1%/<1%), bladder urothelial CA (40.4%/8.3%), cervical/anal SCC (37.5%/0%), lung SCC (34%/3.8%), lung adenocarcinomas (27.6%/3.9%), ovarian CA (26.4%/3.6%), endometrial CA (26.3%/1.3%), lung small cell CA (24.4%/2.4%), gastric adenocarcinomas (20%/4%), breast mucinous CA (19.3%/0%), hepatocellular CA (18.8%/1.2%), breast infiltrating ductal CA (16.4%/1.8%), colorectal adenocarcinomas (10.7%/<1%), cholangiocarcinomas (9.8%/0%), thymic CA (9%/4.5%), and mesotheliomas (7.9%/<1%). Furthermore, high expression of MAGE-A, but not NY-ESO-1, was seen in whole slide evaluations of an independent cohort of metastatic SCC (45.5%/3.6%) and metastatic CA (13.5%/0%) of various primaries with significantly higher expression of MAGE-A in metastatic SCC compared with other metastatic CA. MAGE-A is also more highly expressed in germ cell tumors, seminomas (69%/3.5%) and nonseminomas (40.1%/4.7%). In summary, MAGE-A is more highly expressed than NY-ESO-1 in a majority of human malignancies, and targeting MAGE-A may benefit a large number of patients. PMID:27070449

Inhibitor of growth protein 2 (ING2) has an important role in the regulation of chromatin remodeling, cell proliferation, cell‑cycle arrest, senescence and apoptosis. The present study performed an immunohistochemicalanalysis for expression profiling of ING2 protein in an array of tissues comprising normal mouse and human tissues, as well as human hepatocellular (n=62), renal clear cell (n=62), pancreatic (n=62), esophageal squamous cell (n=45), cervical squamous cell (n=31), breast (n=144), gastric (n=196), colorectal (n=96), ovarian (n=208), endometrial (n=96) and lung (n=192) carcinoma tissues. In mouse tissues, ING2 was detected in the nuclei and cytoplasm of the glandular epithelium of breast, hepatocytes, intestine, bronchium and alveoli, as well as the squamous epithelium of skin and glomeruli, and in myocardial cells, while it was located in the cytoplasm of renal tubules and striated muscle cells. ING2 protein was scattered in the brain and spleen. In human tissues, ING2 protein was principally distributed in the cytoplasm, while in it was present in the cytoplasm and nuclei in the stomach, intestine, cervix, endometrium trachea, breast and pancreas. The nuclear location of ING2 in the stomach was more prominent than that in the cytoplasm. High ING2 immunoreactivity was detected in the tongue, stomach, skin, pancreas, cervix and breast, whereas weakly in the brain stem, thymus, thyroid, lung, striated muscle, testis, bladder and ovary. In total, 617 out of 1,194 of the tested cancer tissues (51.7%) were ING2-positive. In most cases, ING2 expression was found to be restricted to the cytoplasm of all cancer tissues, while in certain cancer types, including renal clear cell, ovarian and colorectal carcinoma, it was occasionally present in the nuclei. Among the cancer tissues examined, ING2 was most frequently expressed in breast cancer (67.4%) and gynecological cancer types, including ovarian cancer (61.5%) and endometrial cancer (57.3%). Compared with

This study compared and contrasted two quantitative scholarly articles in relation to their research designs. Their designs were analyzed by the comparison of research references and research specific vocabulary to describe how various research methods were used. When researching and analyzing quantitative scholarly articles, it is imperative to…

Model-based analyses have become an integral part of modern metabolic engineering and systems biology in order to gain knowledge about complex and not directly observable cellular processes. For quantitative analyses, not only experimental data, but also measurement errors, play a crucial role. The total measurement error of any analytical protocol is the result of an accumulation of single errors introduced by several processing steps. Here, we present a framework for the quantification of intracellular metabolites, including error propagation during metabolome sample processing. Focusing on one specific protocol, we comprehensively investigate all currently known and accessible factors that ultimately impact the accuracy of intracellular metabolite concentration data. All intermediate steps are modeled, and their uncertainty with respect to the final concentration data is rigorously quantified. Finally, on the basis of a comprehensive metabolome dataset of Corynebacterium glutamicum, an integrated error propagation analysis for all parts of the model is conducted, and the most critical steps for intracellular metabolite quantification are detected. PMID:24957773

The analysis of networks of ecological trophic transfers is a useful complement to simulation modeling in the quest for understanding whole-ecosystem dynamics. Trophic networks can be studied in quantitative and systematic fashion at several levels. Indirect relationships between any two individual taxa in an ecosystem, which often differ in either nature or magnitude from their direct influences, can be assayed using techniques from linear algebra. The same mathematics can also be employed to ascertain where along the trophic continuum any individual taxon is operating, or to map the web of connections into a virtual linear chain that summarizes trophodynamic performance by the system. Backtracking algorithms with pruning have been written which identify pathways for the recycle of materials and energy within the system. The pattern of such cycling often reveals modes of control or types of functions exhibited by various groups of taxa. The performance of the system as a whole at processing material and energy can be quantified using information theory. In particular, the complexity of process interactions can be parsed into separate terms that distinguish organized, efficient performance from the capacity for further development and recovery from disturbance. Finally, the sensitivities of the information-theoretic system indices appear to identify the dynamical bottlenecks in ecosystem functioning. PMID:15556474

Estrogen receptors (ER) were independently analyzed using dextran-coated charcoal assays (ER-DCC) and immunohistochemical assays in frozen (ER-ICA) and paraffin-embedded tissue (ER-PAR) from 130 human breast cancer specimens drawn from postmenopausal high-risk patients registered in the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group. ER was best detected with the ER-DCC assay followed by the ER-ICA (relative sensitivity 87%) and the ER-PAR assays (relative sensitivity 71%). The semiquantified staining features of the immunohistochemical assays were statistically significantly correlated with each other and with ER-DCC. Analysis of disease-free interval (DFI) and overall survival (OS) showed that all assays allowed statistically significant discrimination between a high risk and a low risk group, although the sensitivity differences tended to be reflected as small differences in clinical discriminatory power. The patient groups were then stratified according to adjuvant treatment [radiotherapy (RT) versus radiotherapy and tamoxifen (RT + TAM)]. The survival advantage was tied primarily to the receptor status itself in the steroid-binding assays, but was linked to both the receptor status and the adjuvant treatment in the immunohistochemical assays. Thus, the relative risks in terms of DFI and OS were of the same relative magnitude in the RT and RT + TAM groups for ER-DCC assays using a cut-off level of 10 fmol/mg cytosol protein, while there were large differences in the relative risks between RT and RT + TAM groups for ER-ICA and ER-PAR assays. We conclude that an ER assay in fresh tissue should be given first priority, but if there is no fresh tissue, an ER assay in paraffin-embedded tissue offers a reasonably good alternative as a prognosticator and an equivalent alternative as a predictor of the response to endocrine treatment. PMID:1694085

We investigated sialylated carbohydrate antigen( Krebs von den Lungen-6:KL-6) expression in lung tissue and correlation between the expression and serum KL-6 level in the patients with primary lung cancer. Thirty-four primary lung cancer patients with high serum KL-6 levels( >500 U/ml) were evaluated. A coexistence of interstitial pneumonia (IP) was histopathologically evaluated and an immunohistochemical staining using a mouse anti-human KL-6 antibody (mKL-6) was performed. A multiple regression analysis was also caluculated using a serum KL-6 level as a target variable and the histopathological and immunohistochemical factors (KL-6 expression in cancer tissue and IP tissue, coexistence of IP, tumor size, pathological staging) as descriptive variables. Twenty-two patients (64.7%) were histopathologically concomitant with IP. Cancer tissues were positively stained by mKL-6 in 32 patients (94.1%). Among them, 20 patients were concomitant with IP and all of their cancer tissues were more strongly stained by mKL-6 than IP tissues. Although considerable high rate of lung cancer patients might express the KL-6 in the cancer tissue, we could not reveal the relationship between the expression and serum KL-6 level by a multiple regression analysis. For revealing the mechanism of elevating serum KL-6 level in the patients with lung cancer, more detailed and powerful study is thought to be needed. PMID:26329623

This article presents the author's address at the 2007 "Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods" ("JAQM") prize awarding festivity. The festivity was included in the opening of the 4th International Conference on Applied Statistics, November 22, 2008, Bucharest, Romania. In the address, the author reflects on three theses that question the…

When a number of flying insects is low enough to permit their resolution as individual radar targets, quantitative estimates of their aerial density are developed. Accurate measurements of heading distribution using a rotating polarization radar to enhance the wingbeat frequency method of identification are presented.

There is wide consensus that lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's disease (LPHD) represents a distinct clinicopathological entity of B-cell origin. However, inconsistent results of immunophenotyping studies and low confirmation rates among multi-center trials pose the question of whether LPHD really expresses heterogeneous marker profiles or whether it represents a mixture of morphologically similar entities. Among 2,836 cases reviewed by the German Hodgkin Study Group, immunophenotyping was performed on 1) cases classified or confirmed as LPHD by the reference panel (n = 104) or 2) cases not confirmed as LPHD but classified as classical HD (cHD) within the reference study trial (n = 104). In most cases, immunohistochemistry revealed a phenotype either LPHD-like (CD20+, CD15-, CD30-, CD45+) or cHD-like (CD15+, CD30+, CD20-, CD45-). In 27 cases, the immunophenotype was not fully conclusive. Additional markers for Epstein-Barr virus and CD57 and in situ hybridization for mRNA light chains allowed for a more clear-cut distinction between LPHD and cHD. However, in 25 of 104 cases, immunohistochemistry disproved the morphological diagnosis of LPHD of the panel experts, whereas 13 cases originally not confirmed as LPHD showed a LPHD-like immunopattern. Immunohistochemically confirmed LPHD cases showed a significantly better freedom from treatment failure (P = 0.033) than cHD; this was not observed in the original study classification based only on morphology (P > 0.05). Significantly better survival for LPHD cases improved from P = 0.047 (original study classification) to P = 0.0071 when classified by immunohistochemistry. Our results show that LPHD is a more immunohistochemical rather than a purely morphological diagnosis. Immunophenotyping of HD biopsies suspected of being LPHD is mandatory when a modified therapy protocol, that is, one different from those used in cHD, is discussed. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 PMID:9060817

Background: Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an early response gene that is induced by growth factors, oncogenes and carcinogens and its expression is increased in various tumors. Increased expression of COX-2 plays a significant role in the development and growth of tumors by interfering in biological processes such as cell division, cellular immunity, cell adhesion, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of COX-2 in keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KOT) in comparison with ameloblastoma and dentigerous cyst with regards to different clinical behavior and histopathological features of these lesions. Materials and Methods: Paraffined blocks of 45 cases including 15 cases of dentigerous cyst, 15 cases of KOT and 15 cases of ameloblastoma were stained with immunohistochemical method for COX-2. Five high-power fields of each sample were evaluated to determine the percentage of stained cells and the intensity of staining. Degree of immunoreactivity was obtained from the sum of two. Statistical evaluation was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA Mann-Whitney test (P < 0.05). Results: Overexpression of COX-2 in ameloblastoma and KOT was observed compared with dentigerous cyst (P < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between the expression of COX-2 in ameloblastoma and KOT (P = 0.148). Conclusion: The COX-2 expression in odontogenic tumors such as ameloblastoma and cystic neoplasm with aggressive behavior such as KOT increases. However, it does not seem that COX-2 affects the development and growth of cysts with noninvasive behavior like dentigerous cyst. PMID:26005470

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a new molecular cytogenetic method for the detection of chromosomal imbalances. Following cohybridization of DNA prepared from a sample to be studied and control DNA to normal metaphase spreads, probes are detected via different fluorochromes. The ratio of the test and control fluorescence intensities along a chromosome reflects the relative copy number of segments of a chromosome in the test genome. Quantitative evaluation of CGH experiments is required for the determination of low copy changes, e.g., monosomy or trisomy, and for the definition of the breakpoints involved in unbalanced rearrangements. In this study, a program for quantitation of CGH preparations is presented. This program is based on the extraction of the fluorescence ratio profile along each chromosome, followed by averaging of individual profiles from several metaphase spreads. Objective parameters critical for quantitative evaluations were tested, and the criteria for selection of suitable CGH preparations are described. The granularity of the chromosome painting and the regional inhomogeneity of fluorescence intensities in metaphase spreads proved to be crucial parameters. The coefficient of variation of the ratio value for chromosomes in balanced state (CVBS) provides a general quality criterion for CGH experiments. Different cutoff levels (thresholds) of average fluorescence ratio values were compared for their specificity and sensitivity with regard to the detection of chromosomal imbalances. 27 refs., 15 figs., 1 tab.

Lung adenocarcinoma is characterized by marked heterogeneity and may be composed of an admixture of histologic growth patterns, including acinar, papillary, solid, and lepidic (bronchioloalveolar). Tumors displaying a prominent or predominant cribriform architecture are rare and most often confused for metastases from other organs. We report the clinical, histologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular features in 15 primary lung adenocarcinomas with a predominant cribriform histology. All patients were adults between 30 and 80 years of age (median: 64), and all but one reported a history of heavy cigarette smoking. All cases showed a predominant (>70%) cribriform architecture that resembled a variety of tumors arising in other organs, including breast, prostate, ovary, pancreas, uterus, colon, and thyroid. Immunohistochemical stains showed a phenotype consistent with a primary lung tumor (ie, TTF1+/CK7+), with negative results for other markers. Molecular analysis in six cases showed that none harbored an EGFR-activating mutation. KRAS mutation was detected in one case, and an ALK1 and ROS1 gene rearrangement were each detected in an additional two cases. Cribriform adenocarcinomas of the lung represent a distinctive histologic subtype of lung cancer that may be morphologically difficult to differentiate from metastases with a predominant cribriform architecture. PMID:24390215

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a vasoconstrictor peptide which is produced by endothelial cells. The subcellular distribution of ET-1 in human skin and the variation of immunostaining for ET-1 by light microscopy in skin biopsies of diabetic patients have been analysed using immunohistochemistry and image analysis quantification. Skin biopsies were collected from 17 patients with type 1 diabetes of different durations and with presence or absence of microangiopathy in the retina; skin biopsies of healthy subjects were utilized as controls. The distribution of ET-1 immunoreactivity (IR) at both light and electron microscopy was compared to that of von Willebrand factor (vWf), a general marker of total cutaneous microvessels. Immunohistochemistry revealed that in controls the distribution of immunostaining was similar for ET-1 and vWf, being localized to microvessels in all areas of the skin. However, at the electron microscopical level ET-1-IR was localized in the endothelial cytoplasm rather than in specific organelles, while vWf immunostaining was associated with Weibel-Palade bodies. ET-1-IR was observed in 4/8 (50 per cent) biopsies from healthy subjects; this increased to 81.8 per cent in biopsies of patients affected by diabetes for less than 10 years and decreased to 16.6 per cent in patients with diabetes for more than 10 years. Quantification of ET-1 staining showed a significant decrease of ET-1-IR in patients affected by diabetes for more than 10 years compared with those affected by diabetes for less than 10 years (P < 0.05). Also, the percentage of biopsies showing positive ET-1 staining was lower in patients with retinopathy than in patients without retinopathy. On the contrary, vWf-IR was observed in all skin specimens and its quantification showed no differences between diabetic patients and controls. These changes are not related to variations in the number of blood vessels, and it is suggested that they reflect a possible functional alteration of the

Digital diagnostic pathology has become one of the most valuable and convenient advancements in technology over the past years. It allows us to acquire, store and analyze pathological information from the images of histological and immunohistochemical glass slides which are scanned to create digital slides. In this study, efficient fractal, wavelet-based polarimetric techniques for histological analysis of monolayer lung cancer cells will be introduced and different monolayer cancer lines will be studied. The outcome of this study indicates that application of fractal, wavelet polarimetric principles towards the analysis of squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma cancer cell lines may be proved extremely useful in discriminating among healthy and lung cancer cells as well as differentiating among different lung cancer cells.

This course will cover practical applications of the energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to x-ray microanalysis. Topics covered will include detector technology, advances in pulse processing, resolution and performance monitoring, detector modeling, peak deconvolution and fitting, qualitative and quantitativeanalysis, compositional mapping, and standards. An emphasis will be placed on use of the EDS for quantitativeanalysis, with discussion of typical problems encountered in the analysis of a wide range of materials and sample geometries.

Equisetum palustre L. is known for its toxicity for livestock. Several studies in the past addressed the isolation and identification of the responsible alkaloids. So far, palustrine (1) and N(5)-formylpalustrine (2) are known alkaloids of E. palustre. A HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method in combination with simple sample work-up was developed to identify and quantitate Equisetum alkaloids. Besides the two known alkaloids six related alkaloids were detected in different Equisetum samples. The structure of the alkaloid palustridiene (3) was derived by comprehensive 1D and 2D NMR experiments. N(5)-Acetylpalustrine (4) was also thoroughly characterized by NMR for the first time. The structure of N(5)-formylpalustridiene (5) is proposed based on mass spectrometry results. Twenty-two E. palustre samples were screened by a HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method after development of a simple sample work-up and in most cases the set of all eight alkaloids were detected in all parts of the plant. A high variability of the alkaloid content and distribution was found depending on plant organ, plant origin and season ranging from 88 to 597mg/kg dried weight. However, palustrine (1) and the alkaloid palustridiene (3) always represented the main alkaloids. For the first time, a comprehensive identification, quantitation and distribution of Equisetum alkaloids was achieved. PMID:25823584

Univariate genome-wide association analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits has been investigated extensively in the literature. In the presence of correlated phenotypes, it is more intuitive to analyze all phenotypes simultaneously. We describe an efficient likelihood-based approach for the joint association analysis of quantitative and qualitative traits in unrelated individuals. We assume a probit model for the qualitative trait, under which an unobserved latent variable and a prespecified threshold determine the value of the qualitative trait. To jointly model the quantitative and qualitative traits, we assume that the quantitative trait and the latent variable follow a bivariate normal distribution. The latent variable is allowed to be correlated with the quantitative phenotype. Simultaneous modeling of the quantitative and qualitative traits allows us to make more precise inference on the pleiotropic genetic effects. We derive likelihood ratio tests for the testing of genetic effects. An application to the Genetic Analysis Workshop 17 data is provided. The new method yields reasonable power and meaningful results for the joint association analysis of the quantitative trait Q1 and the qualitative trait disease status at SNPs with not too small MAF. PMID:22373162

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data processing uses the backscattered electromagnetic wave to map radar reflectivity of the ground surface. The polarization property in radar remote sensing was used successfully in many applications, especially in target decomposition. This paper presents a case study to the experiments which are performed on ESAR L-Band full polarized data sets from German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the potential of coherent target decomposition and the possibility of using the weather radar measurement parameter, such as the differential reflectivity and the linear depolarization ratio to obtain the quantitative information of the ground surface. The raw data of ESAR has been processed by the SAR simulator developed using MATLAB program code with Range-Doppler algorithm.

Endocytosis, which encompasses the internalization and sorting of plasma membrane (PM) lipids and proteins to distinct membrane-bound intracellular compartments, is a highly regulated and fundamental cellular process by which eukaryotic cells dynamically regulate their PM composition. Indeed, endocytosis is implicated in crucial cellular processes that include proliferation, migration, and cell division as well as maintenance of tissue homeostasis such as apical-basal polarity. Once PM constituents have been taken up into the cell, either via clathrin-dependent endocytosis (CDE) or clathrin-independent endocytosis (CIE), they typically have two fates: degradation through the late-endosomal/lysosomal pathway or returning to the PM via endocytic recycling pathways. In this review, we will detail experimental procedures that allow for both qualitative and quantitative assessment of endocytic recycling of transmembrane proteins internalized by CDE and CIE, using the HeLa cervical cancer cell line as a model system. PMID:26360033

Spontaneous regression (SR) of human melanoma is a rare, well-documented phenomenon that is not still fully understood. Its detailed study cannot be performed in patients due to ethical reasons. Using the Melanoma-bearing Libechov Minipig (MeLiM) animals of various ages (from 3 weeks to 8 months) we implemented a long-term monitoring of melanoma growth and SR. We focused on immunohistochemical detection of two important extracellular matrix proteins, collagen IV and laminin, which are associated with cancer. We showed that SR of melanoma is a highly dynamic process. The expression of collagen IV and laminin correlated with changes in population of melanoma cells. Tumours of 3-week-old animals consisted primarily of melanoma cells with a granular expression of collagen IV and laminin around them. Thereafter, melanoma cells were gradually destroyed and tumour tissue was rebuilt into the connective tissue. Collagen IV expression slightly increased in tumours of 10-week-old pigs showing extracellular fibrous appearance. In tumours of older animals, areas lacking melanoma cells demonstrated a low expression and areas still containing melanoma cells a high expression of both proteins. We considered the age of 10 weeks as a turning point in the transition between tumour growth and SR of the MeLiM melanoma. PMID:25861134

Because median raphe cyst of the penis shares histological findings with apocrine cystadenoma, some cases were thought to be erroneously reported as apocrine cystadenoma of the penis. Further, there is some controversy as to whether the entity, apocrine cystadenoma of the penis, exists or not. Nine cases of median raphe cyst which were clinically unequivocal from their location on the ventral aspects of the penis, were analysed immunohistochemically by using an antibody against human milk fat globulin 1 (HMFG) and a panel of monoclonal anti-cytokeratin antibodies. HMFG expression was not observed in eight out of nine cases of median raphe cyst of the penis, and the remaining case showed a faint expression of HMFG focally in its luminal surface, while conventional apocrine cystadenoma in extra-genital area expressed HMFG definitively in our previous study. Our results suggest a possibility that apocrine cystadenoma of the penis is very rare or not present. Therefore, we thought that HMFG expression should be examined in the cases in which apocrine cystadenoma on the penis is reported. PMID:11260187

Mammary tumours are the most common neoplasms in humans and canines. Human and canine mammary tumours share several important epidemiological, clinicopathological and biochemical features. Development of mammary tumours involves accumulation of mutant cells caused by excessive proliferation and insufficient apoptosis or dysregulation of cellular differentiation. The present study was therefore designed to investigate the expression of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis associated proteins together with expression of estrogen receptors (ER) in both human and canine mammary tumours. Thirty breast cancer patients categorized as pre- and postmenopausal, and 30 mammary gland tumours obtained from bitches were included in this study. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Bcl-2, p53, cytokeratin and ER in tumour tissues and adjacent tissues were investigated using immunohistochemical staining. While the expression of PCNA, Bcl-2, p53 and ER was significantly increased, expression of cytokeratin was significantly lower in both human as well as canine mammary tumours compared to corresponding adjacent tissues. The magnitude of the changes was however more pronounced in premenopausal patients compared to postmenopausal patients. The changes in proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation associated proteins in human and canine mammary tumours validate use of the canine model to understand the molecular mechanisms of mammary carcinogenesis. PMID:16740286

Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is histologically characterized by a proliferation of spindle melanocytes dispersed in a collagenous stroma that can be mistaken for a variety of neoplasms. The purpose of this study was to analyze 40 cases of DM with a comprehensive panel of immunohistochemical markers (KBA.62, p16, Ezrin, WT-1, MITF-1, SOX-10, CD117, SOX-2, nestin, PNL2, p75, MART-1, gp100 and S100p) to obtain a more complete understanding of the potential use of these antibodies in the diagnosis of DM. We found that all cases of DM expressed p16, WT-1, SOX-10, nestin and S100p and 95% of cases expressed p75. There was variable expression with Ezrin, SOX-2, KBA.62, MART-1 and HMB-45. Most DMs did not express MITF-1, PNL2 and CD117. Conditions that may enter in the histologic differential diagnosis of DM, including dermal scars, fibromatosis and dermatofibromas were also studied. Nearly all control cases also stained positive for p16 but were negative for WT1, SOX10, nestin, p75 and S-100p, as well as for most of the other markers tested. We conclude that a panel of S-100p, WT1, SOX10, p75 and nestin may constitute the optimal panel with the most sensitive and specific combination of immunostain available for the diagnosis of DM. PMID:26661921

Background: Central and Peripheral giant cell granulomas of jaws are uncommon, benign, reactive disorders that are characterized by the presence of numerous multinucleated giant cells and mononuclear cells within a stroma. The origin of the multinucleated giant cells is controversial; probably originating from fusion of histiocytes, endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Objective: To assess the expression of CD34 and CD68 in central and peripheral giant cell granulomas to understand the origin of these multinucleated giant cells. Materials and Methods: Twenty cases of Central and Peripheral giant cell granulomas were evaluated immunohistochemically for CD34 and CD68 proteins expression. Results: Immunopositivity for CD34 was seen only in cytoplasm of endothelial cells of blood vessels; whereas, consistent cytoplasmic immunopositivity for CD68 was seen in few stromal cells. Statistical significance was seen in mean number of multinucleated giant cells, mean number of nuclei in multinucleated giant cells, CD68 expression and ratio of macrophages to multinucleated giant cells among two lesions. Conclusion: Although the central giant cell granulomas share some clinical and histopathological similarities with peripheral giant cell granulomas, differences in mean number of nuclei in multinucleated giant cells and CD68 immunoreactivity may underlie the distinct clinical behavior. PMID:25948986

The rapidly expanding list of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to human cell surface antigens provides reagents to probe the biology of malignant melanoma and to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to this disease. The criteria used to select MAb-defined antigens as targets for passive immunotherapy or immunolocalization of melanoma include: 1) consistent antigen expression in melanomas, 2) restricted antigen distribution in normal tissues and nonmelanocytic tumors, and 3) cytotoxic activity of the MAb or MAb conjugates. The present study examined the tissue distribution of three prototype melanoma cell surface antigens, the Mr 57,000 glycoprotein (gp57) recognized by MAb A42, the GD3 ganglioside, and the mel-CSPG chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan. The avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method was used to examine a large panel of normal tissues and over 150 malignant tumors. It was found that A42 has a highly restricted distribution in normal tissues and is expressed in subsets of melanomas and nonmelanocytic tumors. It was also found that GD3 and mel-CSPG are more widely distributed in normal tissues and among tumors than was thought previously. These immunohistochemical patterns provide an essential data base to evaluate the ongoing clinical trials employing MAbs to GD3 and mel-CSPG for the therapy and immunolocalization of melanomas, and they identify gp57 as a potential marker for subsets of normal and transformed melanocytic cells. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 PMID:2916650

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an invaluable diagnostic tool for the detection and follow-up of retinal pathology in patients and experimental disease models. However, as morphological structures and layering in health as well as their alterations in disease are complex, segmentation procedures have not yet reached a satisfactory level of performance. Therefore, raw images and qualitative data are commonly used in clinical and scientific reports. Here, we assess the value of OCT reflectivity profiles as a basis for a quantitative characterization of the retinal status in a cross-species comparative study. Methods Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), confocal Scanning-La­ser Ophthalmoscopy (SLO), and Fluorescein Angiography (FA) were performed in mice (Mus musculus), gerbils (Gerbillus perpadillus), and cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) using the Heidelberg Engineering Spectralis system, and additional SLOs and FAs were obtained with the HRA I (same manufacturer). Reflectivity profiles were extracted from 8-bit greyscale OCT images using the ImageJ software package (http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/). Results Reflectivity profiles obtained from OCT scans of all three animal species correlated well with ex vivo histomorphometric data. Each of the retinal layers showed a typical pattern that varied in relative size and degree of reflectivity across species. In general, plexiform layers showed a higher level of reflectivity than nuclear layers. A comparison of reflectivity profiles from specialized retinal regions (e.g. visual streak in gerbils, fovea in non-human primates) with respective regions of human retina revealed multiple similarities. In a model of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), the value of reflectivity profiles for the follow-up of therapeutic interventions was demonstrated. Conclusions OCT reflectivity profiles provide a detailed, quantitative description of retinal layers and structures including specialized retinal regions

OBJECTIVES: Many authors recommend posterior cruciate ligament-retaining arthroplasty with the intention to maintain the proprioception properties of this ligament. Preservation of the neuroreceptors and nervous fibers may be essential for retaining the proprioception function of the posterior cruciate ligament. The present study was thus developed to evaluate the presence of neural structures in the posterior cruciate ligament resected during posterior stabilized arthroplasty in osteoarthritis patients. In particular, clinical, radiographic and histological parameters were correlated with the presence or absence of neural structures in the posterior cruciate ligament. METHODS: In total, 34 posterior cruciate ligament specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Gomori trichrome. An immunohistochemicalanalysis using antibodies against the S100 protein and neurofilaments was also performed. The presence of neural structures was correlated with parameters such as tibiofemoral angulation, histological degeneration of the posterior cruciate ligament, Ahlbäck radiological classification, age, gender and the histologic pattern of the synovial neurovascular bundle around the posterior cruciate ligament. RESULTS: In total, 67.5% of the cases presented neural structures in the posterior cruciate ligament. In 65% of the cases, the neurovascular bundle was degenerated. Nervous structures were more commonly detected in varus knees than in valgus knees (77% versus 50%). Additionally, severe histologic degeneration of the posterior cruciate ligament was related to neurovascular bundle degeneration. CONCLUSIONS: Severe posterior cruciate ligament degeneration was related to neurovascular bundle compromise. Neural structures were more commonly detected in varus knees. Intrinsic neural structures were detected in the majority of the posterior cruciate ligaments of patients submitted to knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis. PMID:25789514

This work was performed at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant where hydrogen fluoride is produced upon the hydrolysis of UF{sub 6}. This poses a problem for in this setting and a method for determining the mole percent concentration was desired. HF has been considered to be a non-ideal gas for many years. D. F. Smith utilized complex equations in his HF studies in the 1950s. We have evaluated HF behavior as a function of pressure from three different perspectives. (1) Absorbance at 3877 cm{sup -1} as a function of pressure for 100% HF. (2) Absorbance at 3877 cm{sup -1} as a function of increasing partial pressure HF. Total pressure = 300 mm HgA maintained with nitrogen. (3) Absorbance at 3877 cm{sup -1} for constant partial pressure HF. Total pressure is increased to greater than 800 mm HgA with nitrogen. These experiments have shown that at partial pressures up to 35mm HgA, HIF follows the ideal gas law. The absorbance at 3877 cm{sup -1} can be quantitatively analyzed via infrared methods.

A single NDT technique is often not adequate to provide assessments about the integrity of test objects with the required coverage or accuracy. In such situations, it is often resorted to multi-modal testing, where complementary and overlapping information from different NDT techniques are combined for a more comprehensive evaluation. Multi-modal material and defect characterization is an interesting task which involves several diverse fields of research, including signal and image processing, statistics and data mining. The fusion of different modalities may improve quantitative nondestructive evaluation by effectively exploiting the augmented set of multi-sensor information about the material. It is the redundant information in particular, whose quantification is expected to lead to increased reliability and robustness of the inspection results. There are different systematic approaches to data fusion, each with its specific advantages and drawbacks. In our contribution, these will be discussed in the context of nondestructive materials testing. A practical study adopting a high-level scheme for the fusion of Eddy Current, GMR and Thermography measurements on a reference metallic specimen with built-in grooves will be presented. Results show that fusion is able to outperform the best single sensor regarding detection specificity, while retaining the same level of sensitivity.

Models for genome-wide prediction and association studies usually target a single phenotypic trait. However, in animal and plant genetics it is common to record information on multiple phenotypes for each individual that will be genotyped. Modeling traits individually disregards the fact that they are most likely associated due to pleiotropy and shared biological basis, thus providing only a partial, confounded view of genetic effects and phenotypic interactions. In this article we use data from a Multiparent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) winter wheat population to explore Bayesian networks as a convenient and interpretable framework for the simultaneous modeling of multiple quantitative traits. We show that they are equivalent to multivariate genetic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and that they are competitive with single-trait elastic net and single-trait GBLUP in predictive performance. Finally, we discuss their relationship with other additive-effects models and their advantages in inference and interpretation. MAGIC populations provide an ideal setting for this kind of investigation because the very low population structure and large sample size result in predictive models with good power and limited confounding due to relatedness. PMID:25236454

A deregulation of several MUC genes (MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC5AC, and MUC6) was previously demonstrated in breast carcinomas. Considering that recently we found the "non-mammary" MUC5B mRNA in primary breast tumors (Berois et al. 2003), we undertook the present study to evaluate the expression profile of MUC5B protein product in breast tissues, using LUM5B-2 antisera raised against sequences within the non-glycosylated regions of this apomucin. Expression of MUC5B by breast cancer cells was confirmed by immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, and Western blot on MCF-7 cancer cells. Using an immunohistochemical procedure, MUC5B apomucin was detected in 34/42 (81%) primary breast tumors, in 13/14 (92.8%) samples of non-malignant breast diseases, in 8/19 (42.1%) samples of normal-appearing breast epithelia adjacent to cancer, and in 0/5 normal control breast samples. The staining pattern of MUC5B was very different when comparing breast cancer cells (cytoplasmic) and non-malignant breast cells (predominantly apical and in the secretory material). We analyzed MUC5B mRNA expression using RT-PCR in bone marrow aspirates from 22/42 patients with breast cancer to compare with MUC5B protein expression in the primary tumors. Good correlation was observed because the six MUC5B-positive bone marrow samples also displayed MUC5B expression in the tumor. Our results show, for the first time at the protein level, that MUC5B apomucin is upregulated in breast cancer. Its characterization could provide new insights about the glycobiology of breast cancer cells. PMID:16148312

Conventional immunohistochemistry is limited to subjective judgment based on human experience and thus it is clinically required to develop a quantitativeimmunohistochemical detection. 3,3'-Diaminobenzidin (DAB) aggregates, a type of staining product formed by conventional immunohistochemistry, were found to have a special optical property of dark-field imaging for the first time, and the mechanism was explored. On this basis, a novel immunohistochemical method based on dark-field imaging for detecting HER2 overexpressed in breast cancer was established, and the quantitativeanalysis standard and relevant software for measuring the scattering intensity was developed. In order to achieve a more sensitive detection, the HRP (horseradish peroxidase)-labeled secondary antibodies conjugated gold nanoparticles were constructed as nanoprobes to load more HRP enzymes, resulting in an enhanced DAB deposition as a dark-field label. Simultaneously, gold nanoparticles also act as a synergistically enhanced agent due to their mimicry of enzyme catalysis and dark-field scattering properties. PMID:26786242

Background: The opportunity offered by whole slide scanners of automated histological analysis implies an ever increasing importance of digital pathology. To go beyond the importance of conventional pathology, however, digital pathology may need a basic histological starting point similar to that of hematoxylin and eosin staining in conventional pathology. This study presents an automated fluorescence-based microscopy approach providing highly detailed morphological data from unstained microsections. This data may provide a basic histological starting point from which further digital analysis including staining may benefit. Methods: This study explores the inherent tissue fluorescence, also known as autofluorescence, as a mean to quantitate cardiac tissue components in histological microsections. Data acquisition using a commercially available whole slide scanner and an image-based quantitation algorithm are presented. Results: It is shown that the autofluorescence intensity of unstained microsections at two different wavelengths is a suitable starting point for automated digital analysis of myocytes, fibrous tissue, lipofuscin, and the extracellular compartment. The output of the method is absolute quantitation along with accurate outlines of above-mentioned components. The digital quantitations are verified by comparison to point grid quantitations performed on the microsections after Van Gieson staining. Conclusion: The presented method is amply described as a prestain multicomponent quantitation and outlining tool for histological sections of cardiac tissue. The main perspective is the opportunity for combination with digital analysis of stained microsections, for which the method may provide an accurate digital framework. PMID:27141321

This philosophical treatise argues the merits of Human Reliability Analysis (HRA) in the context of the nuclear power industry. Actually, the author attacks historic and current HRA as having failed in informing policy makers who make decisions based on risk that humans contribute to systems performance. He argues for an HRA based on Bayesian (fact-based) inferential statistics, which advocates a systems analysis process that employs cogent heuristics when using opinion, and tempers itself with a rational debate over the weight given subjective and empirical probabilities.

This study employed a multidimensional analysis to evaluate transnational patterns of scientific research to determine relative research strengths among widely varying nations. Findings from this study may inform national policy with regard to the most efficient use of scarce national research resources, including government and private funding.…

The Tn antigen (GalNAc alpha-O-Ser/Thr) as defined by the binding of the lectin, helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) or anti-Tn monoclonal antibodies, is known to be exposed in a majority of cancers, and it has also been shown to correlate positively with the metastatic capacity in breast carcinoma. The short O-glycan that forms the antigen is carried by a number of different proteins. One potential carrier of the Tn antigen is immunoglobulin A1 (IgA1), which we surprisingly found in tumour cells of the invasive parts of primary breast carcinoma. Conventional immunohistochemicalanalysis of paraffin-embedded sections from primary breast cancers showed IgA1 to be present in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of 35 out of 36 individual primary tumours. The immunohistochemical staining of HPA and anti-Tn antibody (GOD3-2C4) did to some extent overlap with the presence of IgA1 in the tumours, but differences were seen in the percentage of stained cells and in the staining pattern in the different breast cancers analysed. Anti-Tn antibody and HPA were also shown to specifically bind to a number of possible constellations of the Tn antigen in the hinge region of IgA1. Both reagents could also detect the presence of Tn positive IgA in serum. On average 51% of the tumour cells in the individual breast cancer tumour sections showed staining for IgA1. The overall amount of staining in the invasive part of the tumour with the anti Tn antibody was 67%, and 93% with HPA. The intra-expression or uptake of IgA1 in breast cancer makes it a new potential carrier of the tumour associated and immunogenic Tn antigen. PMID:23637900

We reviewed 26 examples of the rare variant of cervical adenocarcinoma that has been designated "adenoma malignum." The patients, three of whom had Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, ranged in age from 25 to 72 years (average, 42 years). The most common presenting symptom was menometrorrhagia, followed by vaginal discharge, postmenopausal bleeding, and abdominal swelling in decreasing order of frequency. In 12 of the patients, the diagnosis was established on the basis of the examination of a cervical biopsy specimen, endocervical curettage specimen, or both. In three of these cases, however, up to four biopsies were performed before the diagnosis was established. In the remaining 14 patients, the diagnosis was not made until the time of operation or pathologic examination of a hysterectomy specimen. On gross examination, the cervix usually appeared abnormal, but occasional specimens were considered unremarkable. The cervix was typically described as firm or indurated. Microscopic examination showed glands that were irregular in size and shape and lined predominantly by mucin-containing columnar epithelial cells with basal nuclei. The tumors typically exhibited deep invasion of the cervical wall, and a portion of the infiltrating tumor was associated with a stromal response in most cases. Minor foci of tumor with a less well-differentiated appearance were present in 15 of the 26 tumors. Argyrophil cells were present in six of 15 tumors. Five of the six tumors containing argyrophil cells stained immunohistochemically for serotonin and peptide hormones. Positive staining for serotonin was seen in four tumors; one of these also contained a few cells positive for neurotensin. Cytoplasmic staining of the tumor cells for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was seen in five of six cases. CEA reactivity was very focal in two of the positive tumors. Microscopic features that were most helpful in distinguishing adenoma malignum from normal endocervix or benign endocervical glandular

In part due to the increased demand for higher education, typical evaluation frameworks for universities often address the key issue of available resource utilisation. This study seeks to estimate the efficiency of 20 public universities in Greece through quantitativeanalysis (including performance indicators, data envelopment analysis (DEA) and…

Art historians and restorers in charge of ancient metal objects are often reluctant to remove the corrosion layer evolved over time, as this would change the appearance of the artefact dramatically. Therefore, when an elemental analysis of the objects is required, this has to be done by penetrating the corrosion layer. In this work the influence of corrosion was studied on Chinese and Roman coins, where removal of oxidized material was possible. Measurements on spots with and without corrosion are presented and the results discussed.

RNA-seq has emerged as the technology of choice to quantify gene expression. This technology is a convenient accurate tool to quantify diurnal changes in gene expression, gene discovery, differential use of promoters, and splice variants for all genes expressed in a single tissue. Thus, RNA-seq experiments provide sequence information and absolute expression values about transcripts in addition to relative quantification available with microarrays or qRT-PCR. The depth of information by sequencing requires careful assessment of RNA intactness and DNA contamination. Although the RNA-seq is comparatively recent, a standard analysis framework has emerged with the packages of Bowtie2, TopHat, and Cufflinks. With rising popularity of RNA-seq tools have become manageable for researchers without much bioinformatical knowledge or programming skills. Here, we present a workflow for a RNA-seq experiment from experimental planning to biological data extraction. PMID:24792045

Angle-dependent electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) has been successfully used to examine the surface compositional gradient of a multicomponent polymer. However, photoelectron intensities detected at each take-off angle of ESCA measurements are convoluted signals. The convoluted nature of the signal distorts depth profiles for samples having compositional gradients. To recover the true concentration profiles for the samples, a deconvolution program has been described in Chapter 2. The compositional profiles of two classes of important multicomponent polymers, i.e., poly(dimethysiloxane urethane) (PU-DMS) segmented copolymers and fluorinated poly(amide urethane) block copolymers, are achieved using this program. The effects of the polymer molecular structure and the processing variation on its surface compositional profile have been studied. Besides surface composition, it is desirable to know whether the distribution of segment or block lengths at the surface is different than in the bulk, because this aspect of surface structure may lead to properties different than that predicted simply by knowledge of the surface composition and the bulk structure. In Chapter 3, we pioneered the direct determination of the distribution of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segment lengths at the surface of PU-DMS using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (SUMS). Exciting preliminary results are provided: for the thick film of PU-DMS with nominal MW of PDMS = 1000, the distribution of the PDMS segment lengths at the surface is nearly identical to that in the bulk, whereas in the case of the thick films of PU-DMS with nominal MW of PDMS = 2400, only those PDMS segments with MW of ca. 1000 preferentially segregated at the surface. As a potential minimal fouling coating or biocompatible cardio-vascular materials, PU-DMS copolymers eventually come into contact with water once in use. Could such an environmental change (from air to aqueous) induce any undesirable

The total uncertainty of quantitative microbiological methods, used in pharmaceutical analysis, consists of several components. The analysis of the most important sources of the quantitative microbiological methods variability demonstrated no effect of culture media and plate-count techniques in the estimation of microbial count while the highly significant effect of other factors (type of microorganism, pharmaceutical product and individual reading and interpreting errors) was established. The most appropriate method of statistical analysis of such data was ANOVA which enabled not only the effect of individual factors to be estimated but also their interactions. Considering all the elements of uncertainty and combining them mathematically the combined relative uncertainty of the test results was estimated both for method of quantitative examination of non-sterile pharmaceuticals and microbial count technique without any product. These data did not exceed 35%, appropriated for a traditional plate count methods. PMID:26456251

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a naturally occurring compound present in the brain and peripheral tissues of mammals. It is a minor metabolite and precursor of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Just as GABA, GHB is believed to play a role in neurotransmission. GHB was first synthesized in vitro in 1960, when it revealed depressive and hypnotic effects on the central nervous system. In 1960s it was used as an anaesthetic and later as an alternative to anabolic steroids, in order to enhance muscle growth. However, after it was shown that it caused strong physical dependence and severe side effects, GHB was banned. For the last fifteen years, GHB has been abused for its intoxicating effects such as euphoria, reduced inhibitions and sedation. Illicitly it is available as white powder or as clear liquid. Paradoxically GHB can easily be manufactured from its precursor gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), which has not yet been banned. Because of many car accidents and criminal acts in which it is involved, GHB has become an important object of forensic laboratory analysis. This paper describes gas and liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, microscopy, colourimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance as methods for detection and quantification of GHB in urine and illicit products. PMID:17265679

loss of this marker appears to be a more reliable discriminator than the loss of keratin expression in the differential diagnosis with endometrioid carcinoma or serous carcinoma. UCAe tends to be diffusely positive for p53, but patchy positive for p16. Although UCAe appears to share not only some histologic features with BLCB, but also some of its immunohistochemical features (loss of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Her-2/neu, a tendency to loose e-cadherin and to express CD44), UCAe appears not to be related to BLCB because it usually lacks the expression EGFR, CK5/6, and c-Kit. PMID:26598976

Software for 3-D representations of the 'Absorbance-Wavenumber-Retention time' is used to control the quality of the GC separation. Spectral information given by the FTIR detection allows the user to be sure that a chromatographic peak is 'pure.' The analysis of peppermint essential oil is presented as an example. This assurance is absolutely required for quantitative applications. In these conditions, we have worked out a quantitativeanalysis of caffeine. Correlation coefficients between integrated absorbance measurements and concentration of caffeine are discussed at two steps of the data treatment.

Perforin is a potent cytolytic pore-forming protein expressed in cytoplasmic granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. A new monoclonal antibody raised against human perforin was used to detect both in vitro and in vivo perforin expression in cytotoxic cells. Immunohistochemicalanalysis of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured in recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) showed strong granular cytoplasmic staining of the IL-2 activated cytotoxic cells. Fresh-frozen tissue sections from patients with heart allograft rejection were also stained. Strong granular cytoplasmic staining of the mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate characteristic for perforin in cardiac allograft rejection was observed. The detection and quantitativeanalysis of perforin-associated cytotoxic cells by the human anti-perforin monoclonal antibody will help to evaluate the significance of these functionally distinct cytotoxic cells in human tissue. Images Figure 1 PMID:1374586

This paper presents an informal quantitativeanalysis of the F18 flight control system (FCS). The analysis technique combines a coverage model with a fault tree model. To demonstrate the method's extensive capabilities, we replace the fault tree with a digraph model of the F18 FCS, the only model available to us. The substitution shows that while digraphs have primarily been used for qualitative analysis, they can also be used for quantitativeanalysis. Based on our assumptions and the particular failure rates assigned to the F18 FCS components, we show that coverage does have a significant effect on the system's reliability and thus it is important to include coverage in the reliability analysis.

Acrolein (Acr) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant as well as an endogenous compound. Acrolein-derived 1,N2-propanodeoxyguanosines (Acr-dG) are exocyclic DNA adducts formed following exposure to cigarette smoke or from lipid peroxidation. Acr-dG is mutagenic and potentially carcinogenic and may represent a useful biomarker for the early detection of cancers related to smoking or other oxidative conditions, such as chronic inflammation. In this study, we have developed a high-throughput, automated method using a HistoRx PM-2000 imaging system combined with MetaMorph software for quantifying Acr-dG adducts in human oral cells by immunohistochemical detection using a monoclonal antibody recently developed by our laboratory. This method was validated in a cell culture system using BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cells treated with known concentrations of Acr. The results were further verified by quantitativeanalysis of Acr-dG in DNA of BEAS-2B cells using a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry/multiple-reaction monitoring method. The automated method is a quicker, more accurate method than manual evaluation of counting cells expressing Acr-dG and quantifying fluorescence intensity. It may be applied to other antibodies that are used for immunohistochemical detection in tissues as well as cell lines, primary cultures, and other cell types. PMID:22899861

Immunohistochemical cell proliferation analyses have come into wide use for evaluation of tumor malignancy. Topoisomerase II{alpha} (topo II{alpha}), an essential nuclear enzyme, has been known to have cell cycle coupled expression. We here show the usefulness of quantitativeanalysis of topo II{alpha} mRNA to rapidly evaluate cell proliferation in brain tumors. A protocol to quantify topo II{alpha} mRNA was developed with a real-time RT-PCR. It took only 3 h to quantify from a specimen. A total of 28 brain tumors were analyzed, and the level of topo II{alpha} mRNA was significantly correlated with its immuno-staining index (p < 0.0001, r = 0.9077). Furthermore, it sharply detected that topo II{alpha} mRNA decreased in growth-inhibited glioma cell. These results support that topo II{alpha} mRNA may be a good and rapid indicator to evaluate cell proliferate potential in brain tumors.

We propose an inter-Ascan speckle decorrelation based method that can quantitatively assess blood flow normal to the direction of the OCT imaging beam. To validate this method, we performed a systematic study using both phantom and in vivo animal models. Results show that our speckle analysis method can accurately extract transverse flow speed with high spatial and temporal resolution. PMID:23455305

This article reports on a series of 5 analyses of spontaneous production of verbal inflection (tense and person-number agreement) by 2-year-olds acquiring French as a native language. A formal analysis of the qualitative and quantitative results is developed using the unique resources of Optimality Theory (OT; Prince & Smolensky, 2004). It is…

It is well established that microglial form and function are inextricably linked. In recent years, the traditional view that microglial form ranges between “ramified resting” and “activated amoeboid” has been emphasized through advancing imaging techniques that point to microglial form being highly dynamic even within the currently accepted morphological categories. Moreover, microglia adopt meaningful intermediate forms between categories, with considerable crossover in function and varying morphologies as they cycle, migrate, wave, phagocytose, and extend and retract fine and gross processes. From a quantitative perspective, it is problematic to measure such variability using traditional methods, but one way of quantitating such detail is through fractal analysis. The techniques of fractal analysis have been used for quantitating microglial morphology, to categorize gross differences but also to differentiate subtle differences (e.g., amongst ramified cells). Multifractal analysis in particular is one technique of fractal analysis that may be useful for identifying intermediate forms. Here we review current trends and methods of fractal analysis, focusing on box counting analysis, including lacunarity and multifractal analysis, as applied to microglial morphology. PMID:23386810

A low cost image analysis system suitable for quantitative autoradiography (QAR) analysis has been developed. Autoradiographs can be digitized using a conventional Newvicon television camera interfaced to an IBM-XT microcomputer. Software routines for image digitization and capture permit the acquisition of thresholded or windowed images with graphic overlays that can be stored on storage devices. Image analysis software performs all background and non-linearity corrections prior to display as black/white or pseudocolor images. The relationship of pixel intensity to a standard radionuclide concentration allows the production of quantitative maps of tissue radiotracer concentrations. An easily modified subroutine is provided for adaptation to use appropriate operational equations when parameters such as regional cerebral blood flow or regional cerebral glucose metabolism are under investigation. This system could provide smaller research laboratories with the capability of QAR analysis at relatively low cost.

Although tumour recurrence is an important and not infrequent event in meningiomas, predictive immunohistochemical markers have not been identified yet. The aim of this study was to address this clinically relevant problem by systematic retrospective analysis of surgically completely resected meningiomas with and without recurrence, including tumour samples from patients who underwent repeat surgeries. Three established immunohistochemical markers of routine pathological meningioma work-up have been assessed: the proliferative marker Ki-67 (clone Mib1), the tumour suppressor gene p53 and progesterone receptor (PR). All these proteins correlate with the tumour WHO grade, however the predictive value regarding recurrence and progression in tumour grade is unknown. One hundred and fourteen surgical specimens of 70 meningioma patients (16 male and 54 female) in a 16 years' interval have been studied. All tumours had apparently complete surgical removal. On Mib1, PR and p53 immunostained sections, the percentage of labelled tumour cells, the staining intensity and the multiplied values of these parameters (the histoscore) was calculated. Results were statistically correlated with tumour WHO grade, (sub)type, recurrence and progression in WHO grade at subsequent biopsies. Our results confirmed previous findings that the WHO grade is directly proportional to Mib1 and p53 and is inversely proportional to the PR immunostain. We have demonstrated that Mib1 and p53 have a significant correlation with and predictive value of relapse/recurrence irrespective of the histological subtype of the same WHO grade. As a quantitative marker, Mib1 has the best correlation with a percentage of labelled cells, whereas p53 with intensity and histoscore. In conclusion, the immunohistochemical panel of PR, p53, Mib1 in parallel with applying standard diagnostic criteria based on H and E stained sections is sufficient and reliable to predict meningioma recurrence in surgically completely

Findings from a group of subjects with significant coronary artery stenosis are given. A group of controls determined by use of a quantitative method for the study of regional myocardial performance based on the frame-by-frame analysis of biplane left ventricular angiograms are presented. Particular emphasis was placed upon the analysis of wall motion in terms of normalized segment dimensions, timing and velocity of contraction. The results were compared with the method of subjective assessment used clinically.

Tissue microarray based immunohistochemical staining and proteomics are important tools to create and validate clinically relevant cancer biomarkers. Immunohistochemical stains using formalin-fixed tissue microarray sections for protein expression are scored manually and semi-quantitatively. Digital image analysis methods remove some of the drawbacks of manual scoring but may need other methods such as normalization to provide across the board utility. In the present study, quantitative proteomics-based global normalization method was used to evaluate its utility in the analysis of p53 protein expression in mixed human normal and cancer tissue microarray. Global normalization used the mean or median of β-actin to calculate ratios of individual core stain intensities, then log transformed the ratios, calculate a mean or median and subtracted the value from the log of ratios. In the absence of global normalization of p53 protein expression, 44% (42 of 95) of tissue cores were positive using the median of intensity values and 40% (38 of 95) using the mean of intensities as cut-off points. With global normalization, p53 positive cores changed to 20% (19 of 95) when using median of intensities and 15.8%(15 of 95) when the mean of intensities were used. In conclusion, the global normalization method helped to define positive p53 staining in the tissue microarray set used. The method used helped to define clear cut-off points and confirmed all negatively stained tissue cores. Such normalization methods should help to better define clinically useful biomarkers. PMID:21738821

Impulse-thermography has been established as a fast and reliable tool in many areas of non-destructive testing. In recent years several investigations have been done to apply active thermography to civil engineering. For quantitative investigations in this area of application, finite difference calculations have been performed for systematic studies on the influence of environmental conditions, heating power and time, defect depth and size and thermal properties of the bulk material (concrete). The comparison of simulated and experimental data enables the quantitativeanalysis of defects.

In this communication, the application of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) for a quantitative evaluation of roughnesses and mean island sizes of polycrystalline thin films is discussed. Provided strong conditions concerning the resolution are satisfied, the results are in good agreement with standard techniques as, for example, transmission electron microscopy. Owing to its high resolution, STM can supply a better characterization of surfaces than established methods, especially concerning the roughness. Microscopic interpretations of surface dependent physical properties thus can be considerably improved by a quantitativeanalysis of STM images.

We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of ‘culturomics’, focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. ‘Culturomics’ extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities. PMID:21163965

An improved apparatus and method are described for the quantitativeanalysis of a solution containing a plurality of anion species by ion exchange chromatography which utilizes a single element and a single ion exchange bed which does not require periodic regeneration. The solution containing the anions is added to an anion exchange resin bed which is a low capacity macroreticular polystyrene-divinylbenzene resin containing quarternary ammonium functional groups, and is eluted therefrom with a dilute solution of a low electrical conductance organic acid salt. As each anion species is eluted from the bed, it is quantitatively sensed by conventional detection means such as a conductivity cell.

We constructed a corpus of digitized texts containing about 4% of all books ever printed. Analysis of this corpus enables us to investigate cultural trends quantitatively. We survey the vast terrain of 'culturomics,' focusing on linguistic and cultural phenomena that were reflected in the English language between 1800 and 2000. We show how this approach can provide insights about fields as diverse as lexicography, the evolution of grammar, collective memory, the adoption of technology, the pursuit of fame, censorship, and historical epidemiology. Culturomics extends the boundaries of rigorous quantitative inquiry to a wide array of new phenomena spanning the social sciences and the humanities. PMID:21163965

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is a marker of apoptosis and programmed cell death, which appears prior to DNA fragmentation during delayed neuronal death. The present study investigated the immunohistochemical distribution of ssDNA in the brain to investigate apoptotic neuronal damage with regard to the cause of death in medicolegal autopsy cases (n=305). Neuronal immunopositivity for ssDNA was globally detected in the brain, independent of the age, gender of subjects and postmortem interval, and depended on the cause of death. Higher positivity was typically found in the pallidum for delayed brain injury death and fatal carbon monoxide intoxication, and in the cerebral cortex, pallidum and substantia nigra for drug intoxication. For mechanical asphyxiation, a high positivity was detected in the cerebral cortex and pallidum, while the positivity was low in the substantia nigra. The neuronal ssDNA increased during the survival period within about 24h at each site, depending on the type of brain injury, and in the substantia nigra for other blunt injuries. The neuronal positivity was usually lower for drowning and acute ischemic disease. Topographical analysis of ssDNA-positive neurons may contribute to investigating the cause of brain damage and survival period after a fatal insult. PMID:18462896

Podoplanin is involved in tumorigenesis and cancer progression in head and neck malignancies and its expression is not restricted to lymphatic vessel endothelium. The aim of this study was to establish podoplanin expression in the tumor-free resection margins of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and to evaluate the geometric complexity of the lymphatic vessels in oral mucosa by utilizing fractal analysis. As concerns the podoplanin expression in noncancerous tissue, forty tumor-free resection margins from OSCCs were investigated utilizing immunohistochemistry for D2-40 antibody and image densitometry analysis. Podoplanin expression was extremely low in basal cells, especially in resection margins of OSCCs developed in the lower lip regions. However, a highly variable D2-40 expression in tumor-free resection margins associated with hyperplastic or dysplastic lesions was identified. Moreover, podoplanin expression also extended to the basal layer of the lower lip skin appendages, the myoepithelial cells of acini and ducts of minor salivary glands, and other structures from the oral cavity. As concerns the study of the density and complexity of oral lymphatic vessels architecture by means of immunohistochemistry (D2-40, CD31 and Ki-67 antibodies) and fractal analysis, we demonstrated that in normal oral mucosa the geometry of the lymphatic vessels was less complex at the level of the lower lip compared to the anterior part of the oral floor mucosa or the tongue. A comparative analysis between the normal and pathological aspects revealed statistically significant differences between the fractal dimension (FD) of the vessels' outline, especially in the tongue. Fractal analysis proved an increasing lymphatic network complexity from normal to premalignant oral mucosal lesions, providing additional prognostic information in oral malignant tumors. PMID:20376776

Mass spectrometry (MS) has been a core technology for high sensitive and high-throughput analysis of the enriched glycoproteome in aspects of quantitative assays as well as qualitative profiling of glycoproteins. Because it has been widely recognized that aberrant glycosylation in a glycoprotein may involve in progression of a certain disease, the development of efficient analysis tool for the aberrant glycoproteins is very important for deep understanding about pathological function of the glycoprotein and new biomarker development. This review first describes the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies mainly employing solid-phase extraction methods such as hydrizide-capturing, lectin-specific capturing, and affinity separation techniques based on porous graphitized carbon, hydrophilic interaction chromatography, or immobilized boronic acid. Second, MS-based quantitativeanalysis strategies coupled with the protein glycosylation-targeting enrichment technologies, by using a label-free MS, stable isotope-labeling, or targeted multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS, are summarized with recent published studies. PMID:24889823

Objective: Previous studies which investigated the relationship between reduced E-cadherin and prognosis of endometrial cancer were ambiguous and conflicting. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between reduced expression of E-cadherin and endometrial cancer by meta-analysis approach. Method: AfterPubmed and Embasewere deliberately searched via the internet, 8 pieces of literaturewere totally included in final meta-analysis. After the data had been abstracted, the pulled odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) were calculated by STATA with random or fixed effect model depending on their heterogeneity. The publication bias of included literature were tested by Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test. Results: The pulled data showed that the reduced expression of E-cadherin was significantly associated with overall survival (OS), HR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.50-3.89. The clinical parameters such as lymph node metastasis (LNM), myometrial invasion (MI), International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, histological type and pathological type were also significantly associated with reduced expression of E-cadherin. The results of publication biasshowed there were no significant publication bias. Conclusion: Endometrial cancer patients with reduced expression of E-cadherin may have a poorer prognosis than those with normal or higher expression of E-cadherin. PMID:26770483

The paper presents a new algorithm based on some selected automatic quantitative methods for analysing thermal images. It shows the practical implementation of these image analysis methods in Matlab. It enables to perform fully automated and reproducible measurements of selected parameters in thermal images. The paper also shows two examples of the use of the proposed image analysis methods for the area of ​​the skin of a human foot and face. The full source code of the developed application is also provided as an attachment. The main window of the program during dynamic analysis of the foot thermal image. PMID:26556680

Immunoblotting (also known as Western blotting) combined with digital image analysis can be a reliable method for analyzing the abundance of proteins and protein modifications, but not every immunoblot-analysis combination produces an accurate result. Here, I illustrate how sample preparation, protocol implementation, detection scheme, and normalization approach profoundly affect the quantitative performance of immunoblotting. This study implemented diagnostic experiments that assess an immunoblot-analysis workflow for accuracy and precision. The results showed that ignoring such diagnostics can lead to pseudoquantitative immunoblot data that dramatically overestimate or underestimate true differences in protein abundance. PMID:25852189

The arrangement of plant cortical microtubules can reflect the physiological state of cells. However, little attention has been paid to the image quantitativeanalysis of plant cortical microtubules so far. In this paper, Bidimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition (BEMD) algorithm was applied in the image preprocessing of the original microtubule image. And then Intrinsic Mode Function 1 (IMF1) image obtained by decomposition was selected to do the texture analysis based on Grey-Level Cooccurrence Matrix (GLCM) algorithm. Meanwhile, in order to further verify its reliability, the proposed texture analysis method was utilized to distinguish different images of Arabidopsis microtubules. The results showed that the effect of BEMD algorithm on edge preserving accompanied with noise reduction was positive, and the geometrical characteristic of the texture was obvious. Four texture parameters extracted by GLCM perfectly reflected the different arrangements between the two images of cortical microtubules. In summary, the results indicate that this method is feasible and effective for the image quantitativeanalysis of plant cortical microtubules. It not only provides a new quantitative approach for the comprehensive study of the role played by microtubules in cell life activities but also supplies references for other similar studies. PMID:24744684

The dataset presented in this work has been obtained using a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of rat spleen. A robust method for extraction of proteins from rat spleen tissue and LC-MS-MS analysis was developed using a urea and SDS-based buffer. Different fractionation methods were compared. A total of 3484 different proteins were identified from the pool of all experiments run in this study (a total of 2460 proteins with at least two peptides). A total of 1822 proteins were identified from nine non-fractionated pulse gels, 2288 proteins and 2864 proteins were identified by SDS-PAGE fractionation into three and five fractions respectively. The proteomics data are deposited in ProteomeXchange Consortium via PRIDE PXD003520, Progenesis and Maxquant output are presented in the supported information. The generated list of proteins under different regimes of fractionation allow assessing the nature of the identified proteins; variability in the quantitativeanalysis associated with the different sampling strategy and allow defining a proper number of replicates for future quantitativeanalysis. PMID:27358910

Quantitative risk analysis (QRA) of industrial facilities has to take into account multiple hazards threatening critical equipment. Nevertheless, engineering procedures able to evaluate quantitatively the effect of seismic action are not well established. Indeed, relevant industrial accidents may be triggered by loss of containment following ground shaking or other relevant natural hazards, either directly or through cascade effects ('domino effects'). The issue of integrating structural seismic risk into quantitative probabilistic seismic risk analysis (QpsRA) is addressed in this paper by a representative study case regarding an oil storage plant with a number of atmospheric steel tanks containing flammable substances. Empirical seismic fragility curves and probit functions, properly defined both for building-like and non building-like industrial components, have been crossed with outcomes of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) for a test site located in south Italy. Once the seismic failure probabilities have been quantified, consequence analysis has been performed for those events which may be triggered by the loss of containment following seismic action. Results are combined by means of a specific developed code in terms of local risk contour plots, i.e. the contour line for the probability of fatal injures at any point (x, y) in the analysed area. Finally, a comparison with QRA obtained by considering only process-related top events is reported for reference. PMID:15908107

Measurement science has been converging to smaller and smaller samples, such that it is now possible to detect single molecules. This Review focuses on the next generation of analytical tools that combine single-molecule detection with the ability to measure many single molecules simultaneously and/or process larger and more complex samples. Such single-molecule sensors constitute a new type of quantitative analytical tool, as they perform analysis by molecular counting and thus potentially capture the heterogeneity of the sample. This Review outlines the advantages and potential of these new, quantitative single-molecule sensors, the measurement challenges in making single-molecule devices suitable for analysis, the inspiration biology provides for overcoming these challenges, and some of the solutions currently being explored. PMID:27444661

Ki-67 is considered as one of prime biomarkers to reflect cell proliferation and immunohistochemical Ki-67 staining has been widely applied in clinical pathology. To solve the widespread controversy whether Ki-67 reactivity significantly predicts clinical prognosis of bladder carcinoma (BC), we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis by combining results from different literature.A comprehensive search was conducted in the Chinese databases of WanFang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese VIP as well as English databases of PubMed, ISI web of science, EMBASE, Science Direct, and Wiley online library. Independent studies linking Ki-67 to cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were included in our meta-analysis. With the cut-off values literature provided, hazard ratio (HR) values between the survival distributions were extracted and later combined with STATA 12.0.In total, 76 studies (n = 13,053 patients) were eligible for the meta-analysis. It was indicated in either univariate or multivariate analysis for survival that high Ki-67 reactivity significantly predicted poor prognosis. In the univariate analysis, the combined HR for CSS, DFS, OS, PFS, and RFS were 2.588 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.623-4.127, P analysis for CSS, DFS, OS, PFS, and RFS were 1.868 (95%CI: 1.343-2.597, P analysis of univariate analysis by origin showed that Ki-67 reactivity significantly correlated with all 5 clinical

Phosphitylation of hydroxyl groups in biodiesel samples with 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane followed by 31P-NMR analysis provides a rapid quantitative analytical technique for the determination of substitution patterns on partially esterified glycerols. The unique 31P-NMR chemical shift data was established with a series mono and di-substituted fatty acid esters of glycerol and then utilized to characterize an industrial sample of partially processed biodiesel.

We use an index of chaotic synchronization based on the averaged coherence function for the quantitativeanalysis of the process of the complete synchronization loss in unidirectionally coupled oscillators and maps. We demonstrate that this value manifests different stages of the synchronization breaking. It is invariant to time delay and insensitive to small noise and distortions, which can influence the accessible signals at measurements. Peculiarities of the synchronization destruction in maps and oscillators are investigated.

In this paper, smartphone acceleration sensors were used to perform a quantitativeanalysis of mechanical coupled oscillations. Symmetric and asymmetric normal modes were studied separately in the first two experiments. In the third, a coupled oscillation was studied as a combination of the normal modes. Results indicate that acceleration sensors of smartphones, which are very familiar to students, represent valuable measurement instruments for introductory and first-year physics courses.

A method for quantitating glycerophosphorylcholine by flow injection analysis is reported in the present paper. Glycerophosphorylcholine phosphodiesterase and choline oxidase, immobilized on controlled porosity glass beads, are packed in a small reactor inserted in a flow injection manifold. When samples containing glycerophosphorylcholine are injected, glycerophosphorylcholine is hydrolyzed into choline and sn-glycerol-3-phosphate. The free choline produced in this reaction is oxidized to betain and hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is detected amperometrically. Quantitation of glycerophosphorylcholine in samples containing choline and phosphorylcholine is obtained inserting ahead of the reactor a small column packed with a mixed bed ion exchange resin. The time needed for each determination does not exceed one minute. The present method, applied to quantitate glycerophosphorylcholine in samples of seminal plasma, gave results comparable with those obtained using the standard enzymatic-spectrophotometric procedure. An alternative procedure, making use of co-immobilized glycerophosphorylcholine phosphodiesterase and glycerol-3-phosphate oxidase for quantitating glycerophosphorylcholine, glycerophosphorylethanolamine and glycerophosphorylserine is also described. PMID:8905629

This chapter describes 2D quantitative methods for motion analysis as well as 3D motion analysis and reconstruction methods. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of dynamic cell shape changes that occur through extension and retraction of force generating structures such as pseudopodia and lamellipodia. Quantitativeanalysis of these structures is an underutilized tool in the field of cell migration. Our intent, therefore, is to present methods that we developed in an effort to elucidate mechanisms of basic cell motility, directed cell motion during chemotaxis, and metastasis. We hope to demonstrate how application of these methods can more clearly define alterations in motility that arise due to specific mutations or disease and hence, suggest mechanisms or pathways involved in normal cell crawling and treatment strategies in the case of disease. In addition, we present a 4D tumorigenesis model for high-resolution analysis of cancer cells from cell lines and human cancer tissue in a 3D matrix. Use of this model led to the discovery of the coalescence of cancer cell aggregates and unique cell behaviors not seen in normal cells or normal tissue. Graphic illustrations to visually display and quantify cell shape are presented along with algorithms and formulae for calculating select 2D and 3D motion analysis parameters. PMID:26498790

Spontaneous cancers are common diseases in dogs. Among these, some malignant cancers such as oral melanoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and mast cell tumor are often recognized as clinical problems because, despite their high frequencies, current treatments for these cancers may not always achieve satisfying outcomes. The absence of effective systemic therapies against these cancers leads researchers to investigate novel therapeutic modalities, including immunotherapy. Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a costimulatory receptor with immunosuppressive function. When it binds its ligands, PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or PD-L2, PD-1 on T cells negatively regulates activating signals from the T cell receptor, resulting in the inhibition of the effector function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Aberrant PD-L1 expression has been reported in many human cancers and is considered an immune escape mechanism for cancers. In clinical trials, anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies induced tumor regression for several malignancies, including advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. In this study, to assess the potential of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis as a novel therapeutic target for canine cancer immunotherapy, immunohistochemicalanalysis of PD-L1 expression in various malignant cancers of dogs was performed. Here, we show that dog oral melanoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, mammary adenocarcinoma, and prostate adenocarcinoma expressed PD-L1, whereas some other types of cancer did not. In addition, PD-1 was highly expressed on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes obtained from oral melanoma, showing that lymphocytes in this cancer type might have been functionally exhausted. These results strongly encourage the clinical application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors as novel therapeutic agents against these cancers in dogs. PMID:27276060

We used morphological, immunohistochemical and functional assessments to determine the impact of genetically-modified peripheral nerve (PN) grafts on axonal regeneration after injury. Grafts were assembled from acellular nerve sheaths repopulated ex vivo with Schwann cells (SCs) modified to express brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a secretable form of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), or neurotrophin-3 (NT3). Grafts were used to repair unilateral 1 cm defects in rat peroneal nerves and 10 weeks later outcomes were compared to normal nerves and various controls: autografts, acellular grafts and grafts with unmodified SCs. The number of regenerated βIII-Tubulin positive axons was similar in all grafts with the exception of CNTF, which contained the fewest immunostained axons. There were significantly lower fiber counts in acellular, untransduced SC and NT3 groups using a PanNF antibody, suggesting a paucity of large caliber axons. In addition, NT3 grafts contained the greatest number of sensory fibres, identified with either IB4 or CGRP markers. Examination of semi- and ultra-thin sections revealed heterogeneous graft morphologies, particularly in BDNF and NT3 grafts in which the fascicular organization was pronounced. Unmyelinated axons were loosely organized in numerous Remak bundles in NT3 grafts, while the BDNF graft group displayed the lowest ratio of umyelinated to myelinated axons. Gait analysis revealed that stance width was increased in rats with CNTF and NT3 grafts, and step length involving the injured left hindlimb was significantly greater in NT3 grafted rats, suggesting enhanced sensory sensitivity in these animals. In summary, the selective expression of BDNF, CNTF or NT3 by genetically modified SCs had differential effects on PN graft morphology, the number and type of regenerating axons, myelination, and locomotor function. PMID:23950907

Cervical neuroendocrine carcinomas are rare, aggressive tumors and their immunohistochemical features and clonal relationship to coexisting tumors are incompletely described. Twenty-eight cases were identified (17 small cell, 9 large cell, and 2 mixed), 10 of which had an invasive squamous or adenocarcinoma component. Staining for synaptophysin, chromogranin A, TTF1, c-kit, CD44, and p16 was performed. Analyses for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 5 polymorphic microsatellite markers (D3S1300, D9S171, D11S914, D13S319, and TP53) and X-chromosome inactivation were performed. Of 17 cases with available blocks, 13 (76%) were synaptophysin+, 8 (47%) were chromogranin A+, 8 (47%) were TTF1+, 7 (41%) were c-kit+, and 6 (35%) were CD44+. Strong patchy or strong diffuse p16 staining was seen in all cases. LOH and X-chromosome inactivation analysis were performed for 17 cases, 8 of which had a coexisting squamous or adenocarcinoma component. Five of the 8 (63%) cases with 2 components showed allelic loss in both components. All 5 of these cases demonstrated identical LOH between the neuroendocrine and squamous or adenocarcinoma components. Nonrandom X-chromosome inactivation was seen in the neuroendocrine and other components in 4 of the 8 cases. In all 4 cases the pattern of inactivation was identical between the 2 components. Cervical neuroendocrine carcinomas have features similar to other extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas, including expression of TTF1, c-kit, and CD44. Consistent staining for p16 is also seen. Concordant genetic alterations support common clonal origin for neuroendocrine carcinomas with a coexisting squamous or adenocarcinoma component. PMID:26630233

Dioxins are widespread persistent environmental contaminants with adverse impacts on humans and experimental animals. Behavioral and cognitive functions are impaired by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure. TCDD exerts its toxicity via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor. The hippocampus, which plays important roles in episodic memory and spatial function, is considered vulnerable to TCDD-induced neurotoxicity, because it contains the AhR. We herein investigated the effects of TCDD toxicity on hippocampal development in embryonic mice. TCDD was administered to dams at 8.5 days postcoitum with a single dose of 20, 200, 2,000 and 5,000 ng/kg body weight (groups T20, T200, T2000 and T5000, respectively), and the brains were dissected from their pups at embryonic day 18.5. Immunohistochemicalanalysis demonstrated that the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) immunoreactivities in the dentate gyrus (DG) were reduced in the T5000 group. Granular GFAP immunoreactivity was observed in the hippocampal fimbria, and the number of immunoreactive fimbria was significantly decreased in the T5000 group. The number of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA)-positive cells was decreased in all TCDD-exposed groups and significantly reduced in the T20, T200 and T5000 groups. Together, these results demonstrate that maternal TCDD exposure has adverse impacts on neural stem cells (NSCs), neural precursor cells (NPCs) and granular cells in the DG and disrupts the NSC maintenance and timing of differentiation in the hippocampal fimbria, which in turn interrupt neuronal development in future generations of mice. PMID:26096965

Dioxins are widespread persistent environmental contaminants with adverse impacts on humans and experimental animals. Behavioral and cognitive functions are impaired by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure. TCDD exerts its toxicity via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor. The hippocampus, which plays important roles in episodic memory and spatial function, is considered vulnerable to TCDD-induced neurotoxicity, because it contains the AhR. We herein investigated the effects of TCDD toxicity on hippocampal development in embryonic mice. TCDD was administered to dams at 8.5 days postcoitum with a single dose of 20, 200, 2,000 and 5,000 ng/kg body weight (groups T20, T200, T2000 and T5000, respectively), and the brains were dissected from their pups at embryonic day 18.5. Immunohistochemicalanalysis demonstrated that the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) immunoreactivities in the dentate gyrus (DG) were reduced in the T5000 group. Granular GFAP immunoreactivity was observed in the hippocampal fimbria, and the number of immunoreactive fimbria was significantly decreased in the T5000 group. The number of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA)-positive cells was decreased in all TCDD-exposed groups and significantly reduced in the T20, T200 and T5000 groups. Together, these results demonstrate that maternal TCDD exposure has adverse impacts on neural stem cells (NSCs), neural precursor cells (NPCs) and granular cells in the DG and disrupts the NSC maintenance and timing of differentiation in the hippocampal fimbria, which in turn interrupt neuronal development in future generations of mice. PMID:26096965

Spontaneous cancers are common diseases in dogs. Among these, some malignant cancers such as oral melanoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and mast cell tumor are often recognized as clinical problems because, despite their high frequencies, current treatments for these cancers may not always achieve satisfying outcomes. The absence of effective systemic therapies against these cancers leads researchers to investigate novel therapeutic modalities, including immunotherapy. Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a costimulatory receptor with immunosuppressive function. When it binds its ligands, PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or PD-L2, PD-1 on T cells negatively regulates activating signals from the T cell receptor, resulting in the inhibition of the effector function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Aberrant PD-L1 expression has been reported in many human cancers and is considered an immune escape mechanism for cancers. In clinical trials, anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies induced tumor regression for several malignancies, including advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and renal cell carcinoma. In this study, to assess the potential of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis as a novel therapeutic target for canine cancer immunotherapy, immunohistochemicalanalysis of PD-L1 expression in various malignant cancers of dogs was performed. Here, we show that dog oral melanoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, mammary adenocarcinoma, and prostate adenocarcinoma expressed PD-L1, whereas some other types of cancer did not. In addition, PD-1 was highly expressed on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes obtained from oral melanoma, showing that lymphocytes in this cancer type might have been functionally exhausted. These results strongly encourage the clinical application of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors as novel therapeutic agents against these cancers in dogs. PMID:27276060

Muscle activity during seizures is in electroencephalographical (EEG) praxis often considered an irritating artefact. This article discusses ways by surface electromyography (EMG) to turn it into a valuable tool of epileptology. Muscles are in direct synaptic contact with motor neurons. Therefore, EMG signals provide direct information about the electric activity in the motor cortex. Qualitative analysis of EMG has traditionally been a part of the long-term video-EEG recordings. Recent development in quantitativeanalysis of EMG signals yielded valuable information on the pathomechanisms of convulsive seizures, demonstrating that it was different from maximal voluntary contraction, and different from convulsive psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Furthermore, the tonic phase of the generalised tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) proved to have different quantitative features than tonic seizures. The high temporal resolution of EMG allowed detailed characterisation of temporal dynamics of the GTCS, suggesting that the same inhibitory mechanisms that try to prevent the build-up of the seizure activity, contribute to ending the seizure. These findings have clinical implications: the quantitative EMG features provided the pathophysiologic substrate for developing neurophysiologic biomarkers that accurately identify GTCS. This proved to be efficient both for seizure detection and for objective, automated distinction between convulsive and non-convulsive epileptic seizures. PMID:27212115

In the post-genomic era, information is king and information-rich technologies are critically important drivers in both fundamental biology and medicine. It is now known that single-parameter measurements provide only limited detail and that quantitation of multiple biomolecular signatures can more fully illuminate complex biological function. Label-free technologies have recently attracted significant interest for sensitive and quantitative multiparameter analysis of biological systems. There are several different classes of label-free sensors that are currently being developed both in academia and in industry. In this critical review, we highlight, compare, and contrast some of the more promising approaches. We will describe the fundamental principles of these different methodologies and discuss advantages and disadvantages that might potentially help one in selecting the appropriate technology for a given bioanalytical application. PMID:19221722

Quantitative phase imaging provides nanometer scale sensitivity and has been previously used to study spectral and temporal characteristics of individual cells in vitro, especially red blood cells. Here we extend this work to study the mechanical responses of individual cells due to the influence of external stimuli. Cell stiffness may be characterized by analyzing the inherent thermal fluctuations of cells but by applying external stimuli, additional information can be obtained. The time dependent response of cells due to external shear stress is examined with high speed quantitative phase imaging and found to exhibit characteristics that relate to their stiffness. However, analysis beyond the cellular scale also reveals internal organization of the cell and its modulation due to pathologic processes such as carcinogenesis. Further studies with microfluidic platforms point the way for using this approach in high throughput assays.

A computerized image processing system utilizing an IBM-XT personal microcomputer with the capability of performing quantitative cerebral autoradiography is described. All of the system components are standard computer and optical hardware that can be easily assembled. The system has 512 horizontal by 512 vertical axis resolution with 8 bits per pixel (256 gray levels). Unlike other dedicated image processing systems, the IBM-XT permits the assembly of an efficient, low-cost image analysis system without sacrificing other capabilities of the IBM personal computer. The application of this system in both qualitative and quantitative autoradiography has been the principal factor in developing a new radiopharmaceutical to measure regional cerebral blood flow.

Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease caused by neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain. In this human autopsy study qualitative and quantitative changes of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytes in the hippocampus of 26 lethally intoxicated drug addicts and 35 matched controls are described. The morphological characterization of these cells reflected alterations representative for astrogliosis. But, neither quantification of GFAP-positive cells nor the Western blot analysis indicated statistical significant differences between drug fatalities versus controls. However, by semi-quantitative scoring a significant shift towards higher numbers of activated astrocytes in the drug group was detected. To assess morphological changes quantitatively, graph-based representations of astrocyte morphology were obtained from single cell images captured by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Their underlying structures were used to quantify changes in astroglial fibers in an automated fashion. This morphometric analysis yielded significant differences between the investigated groups for four different measures of fiber characteristics (Euclidean distance, graph distance, number of graph elements, fiber skeleton distance), indicating that, e.g., astrocytes in drug addicts on average exhibit significant elongation of fiber structures as well as two-fold increase in GFAP-positive fibers as compared with those in controls. In conclusion, the present data show characteristic differences in morphology of hippocampal astrocytes in drug addicts versus controls and further supports the involvement of astrocytes in human pathophysiology of drug addiction. The automated quantification of astrocyte morphologies provides a novel, testable way to assess the fiber structures in a quantitative manner as opposed to standard, qualitative descriptions. PMID:23337617

It has been proposed that gonadotropins and/or gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) could be involved in the pathophysiology of the side effects after spaying in bitches, such as urinary incontinence and an increased production of a woolly undercoat. In order to provide tools to investigate the role of these hormones in dogs we developed immunohistochemical techniques and real-time RT-PCR to study whether GnRH-, LH-, and FSH-receptors exist in canine skin and urinary bladder. Tissue samples from the skin of the flank region and the ventral midline of the urinary bladder from euthanised dogs were examined. We were able to quantify mRNA expression of GnRH-, FSH-, and LH-receptors in canine skin and bladder biopsies with a high primer efficacy. Immunohistochemical studies showed that GnRH-, FSH-, and LH-receptors are expressed in vessel walls, the epidermis, the hair follicle and in sebaceous and sweat glands in canine skin and in transitional epithelium, and smooth muscle tissue in the urinary bladder. Our data provide the fundamentals to examine the distribution of FSH-, LH-, and GnRH-receptors in canine skin and urinary bladder and to assess gene activity at the transcriptional level by real-time RT-PCR. PMID:16715322

Many quantitative traits are measured repeatedly during the life of an organism. Such traits are called dynamic traits. The pattern of the changes of a dynamic trait is called the growth trajectory. Studying the growth trajectory may enhance our understanding of the genetic architecture of the growth trajectory. Recently, we developed an interval-mapping procedure to map QTL for dynamic traits under the maximum-likelihood framework. We fit the growth trajectory by Legendre polynomials. The method intended to map one QTL at a time and the entire QTL analysis involved scanning the entire genome by fitting multiple single-QTL models. In this study, we propose a Bayesian shrinkage analysis for estimating and mapping multiple QTL in a single model. The method is a combination between the shrinkage mapping for individual quantitative traits and the Legendre polynomial analysis for dynamic traits. The multiple-QTL model is implemented in two ways: (1) a fixed-interval approach where a QTL is placed in each marker interval and (2) a moving-interval approach where the position of a QTL can be searched in a range that covers many marker intervals. Simulation study shows that the Bayesian shrinkage method generates much better signals for QTL than the interval-mapping approach. We propose several alternative methods to present the results of the Bayesian shrinkage analysis. In particular, we found that the Wald test-statistic profile can serve as a mechanism to test the significance of a putative QTL. PMID:17435239

Based on immunohistochemical staining for the basal markers cytokeratin 5/6 (CK 5/6), cytokeratin 14 (CK 14) and P-cadherin, triple negative tumors (TNT) are divided into two groups: 1) basal-like (BL) positive for one or all three markers; and 2) non basal-like (NBL) negative for all three markers. Even though the different origin of the cells of these two types of tumors implies different biological properties, they had been treated as one entity until recently. This paper analyzes TNT collected from 150 patients and distributed into two groups according to the results of immunohistochemicalanalysis, i.e. BL 116 (77.3%) and NBL 34 (22.67%). In this study, CK 5/6, CK 14 and P-cadherin were used as markers for identifying BL tumors. The immunohistochemical reaction was positive for CK 5/6 in 37%, for CK 14 in 50.86% and for P-cadherin in 68.34% of cases. The subclassification of triple negative breast cancer using the basal markers CK 5/6, CK 14 and P-cadherin has enabled identification of BL and NBL breast cancers in a proportion that is in line with the only accurate analysis of TNT gene expression. Using the mentioned combination of markers in daily practice is easy to perform and economically affordable. PMID:27333711

Quantitative histomorphometry is the current gold standard for objective measurement of nerve architecture and its components. Many methods still in use rely heavily upon manual techniques that are prohibitively time consuming, predisposing to operator fatigue, sampling error, and overall limited reproducibility. More recently, investigators have attempted to combine the speed of automated morphometry with the accuracy of manual and semi-automated methods. Systematic refinements in binary imaging analysis techniques combined with an algorithmic approach allow for more exhaustive characterization of nerve parameters in the surgically relevant injury paradigms of regeneration following crush, transection, and nerve gap injuries. The binary imaging method introduced here uses multiple bitplanes to achieve reproducible, high throughput quantitative assessment of peripheral nerve. Number of myelinated axons, myelinated fiber diameter, myelin thickness, fiber distributions, myelinated fiber density, and neural debris can be quantitatively evaluated with stratification of raw data by nerve component. Results of this semi-automated method are validated by comparing values against those obtained with manual techniques. The use of this approach results in more rapid, accurate, and complete assessment of myelinated axons than manual techniques. PMID:17675163

We present an analysis of IRAS maps of five molecular clouds: Orion, Ophiuchus, Perseus, Taurus, and Lupus. For the classification and description of these astrophysical maps, we use a newly developed technique which considers all maps of a given type to be elements of a pseudometric space. For each physical characteristic of interest, this formal system assigns a distance function (a pseudometric) to the space of all maps: this procedure allows us to measure quantitatively the difference between any two maps and to order the space of all maps. We thus obtain a quantitative classification scheme for molecular clouds. In this present study we use the IRAS continuum maps at 100 and 60 micrometer(s) to produce column density (or optical depth) maps for the five molecular cloud regions given above. For this sample of clouds, we compute the 'output' functions which measure the distribution of density, the distribution of topological components, the self-gravity, and the filamentary nature of the clouds. The results of this work provide a quantitative description of the structure in these molecular cloud regions. We then order the clouds according to the overall environmental 'complexity' of these star-forming regions. Finally, we compare our results with the observed populations of young stellar objects in these clouds and discuss the possible environmental effects on the star-formation process. Our results are consistent with the recently stated conjecture that more massive stars tend to form in more 'complex' environments.

We present an analysis of IRAS maps of five molecular clouds: Orion, Ophiuchus, Perseus, Taurus, and Lupus. For the classification and description of these astrophysical maps, we use a newly developed technique which considers all maps of a given type to be elements of a pseudometric space. For each physical characteristic of interest, this formal system assigns a distance function (a pseudometric) to the space of all maps: this procedure allows us to measure quantitatively the difference between any two maps and to order the space of all maps. We thus obtain a quantitative classification scheme for molecular clouds. In this present study we use the IRAS continuum maps at 100 and 60 micrometer(s) to produce column density (or optical depth) maps for the five molecular cloud regions given above. For this sample of clouds, we compute the 'output' functions which measure the distribution of density, the distribution of topological components, the self-gravity, and the filamentary nature of the clouds. The results of this work provide a quantitative description of the structure in these molecular cloud regions. We then order the clouds according to the overall environmental 'complexity' of these star-forming regions. Finally, we compare our results with the observed populations of young stellar objects in these clouds and discuss the possible environmental effects on the star-formation process. Our results are consistent with the recently stated conjecture that more massive stars tend to form in more 'complex' environments.

The selection of the most feasible strategy for implementation of landfills is a challenging step. Potential implementation options of landfills cover a wide range, from conventional construction contracts to the concessions. Montenegro, seeking to improve the efficiency of the public services while maintaining affordability, was considering privatisation as a way to reduce public spending on service provision. In this study, to determine the most feasible model for construction and operation of a regional landfill, a quantitative risk analysis was implemented with four steps: (i) development of a global risk matrix; (ii) assignment of qualitative probabilities of occurrences and magnitude of impacts; (iii) determination of the risks to be mitigated, monitored, controlled or ignored; (iv) reduction of the main risk elements; and (v) incorporation of quantitative estimates of probability of occurrence and expected impact for each risk element in the reduced risk matrix. The evaluated scenarios were: (i) construction and operation of the regional landfill by the public sector; (ii) construction and operation of the landfill by private sector and transfer of the ownership to the public sector after a pre-defined period; and (iii) operation of the landfill by the private sector, without ownership. The quantitative risk assessment concluded that introduction of a public private partnership is not the most feasible option, unlike the common belief in several public institutions in developing countries. A management contract for the first years of operation was advised to be implemented, after which, a long term operating contract may follow. PMID:27354014

Evaluation of effectiveness in reconstructive plastic surgery has become an increasingly important asset in comparing and choosing the most suitable medical procedure to handle facial disfigurement. Unfortunately, traditional methods to assess the results of surgical interventions are mostly qualitative and lack information about movement dynamics. Along with this, the few existing methodologies tailored to objectively quantify surgery results are not practical in the medical field due to constraints in terms of cost, complexity and poor suitability to clinical environment. These limitations enforce an urgent need for the creation of a new system to quantify facial movement and allow for an easy interpretation by medical experts. With this in mind, we present here a novel method capable of quantitatively and objectively assess complex facial movements, using a set of morphological, static and dynamic measurements. For this purpose, RGB-D cameras are used to acquire both color and depth images, and a modified block matching algorithm, combining depth and color information, was developed to track the position of anatomical landmarks of interest. The algorithms are integrated into a user-friendly graphical interface and the analysis outcomes are organized into an innovative medical tool, named facegram. This system was developed in close collaboration with plastic surgeons and the methods were validated using control subjects and patients with facial paralysis. The system was shown to provide useful and detailed quantitative information (static and dynamic) making it an appropriate solution for objective quantitative characterization of facial movement in a clinical environment. PMID:26994664

Diet estimation is an important field within quantitative ecology, providing critical insights into many aspects of ecology and community dynamics. Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) is a prominent method of diet estimation, particularly for marine mammal and bird species. Investigators using QFASA commonly use computer simulation to evaluate statistical characteristics of diet estimators for the populations they study. Similar computer simulations have been used to explore and compare the performance of different variations of the original QFASA diet estimator. In both cases, computer simulations involve bootstrap sampling prey signature data to construct pseudo-predator signatures with known properties. However, bootstrap sample sizes have been selected arbitrarily and pseudo-predator signatures therefore may not have realistic properties. I develop an algorithm to objectively establish bootstrap sample sizes that generates pseudo-predator signatures with realistic properties, thereby enhancing the utility of computer simulation for assessing QFASA estimator performance. The algorithm also appears to be computationally efficient, resulting in bootstrap sample sizes that are smaller than those commonly used. I illustrate the algorithm with an example using data from Chukchi Sea polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and their marine mammal prey. The concepts underlying the approach may have value in other areas of quantitative ecology in which bootstrap samples are post-processed prior to their use.

There is an ever increasing concern regarding the presence of airborne microbial contaminants within indoor air environments. Exposure to such biocontaminants can give rise to large numbers of different health effects including infectious diseases, allergenic responses and respiratory problems, Biocontaminants typically round in indoor air environments include bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and dust mites. Mycotoxins, endotoxins, pollens and residues of organisms are also known to cause adverse health effects. A quantitative detection/identification technique independent of culturability that assays both culturable and non culturable biomass including endotoxin is critical in defining risks from indoor air biocontamination. Traditionally, methods employed for the monitoring of microorganism numbers in indoor air environments involve classical culture based techniques and/or direct microscopic counting. It has been repeatedly documented that viable microorganism counts only account for between 0.1-10% of the total community detectable by direct counting. The classic viable microbiologic approach doe`s not provide accurate estimates of microbial fragments or other indoor air components that can act as antigens and induce or potentiate allergic responses. Although bioaerosol samplers are designed to damage the microbes as little as possible, microbial stress has been shown to result from air sampling, aerosolization and microbial collection. Higher collection efficiency results in greater cell damage while less cell damage often results in lower collection efficiency. Filtration can collect particulates at almost 100% efficiency, but captured microorganisms may become dehydrated and damaged resulting in non-culturability, however, the lipid biomarker assays described herein do not rely on cell culture. Lipids are components that are universally distributed throughout cells providing a means to assess independent of culturability.

Assembly of eukaryotic ribosomes is an elaborate biosynthetic process that begins in the nucleolus and requires hundreds of cellular factors. Analysis of rRNA processing has been instrumental for studying the mechanisms of ribosome biogenesis and effects of stress conditions on the molecular milieu of the nucleolus. Here, we describe the quantitativeanalysis of the steady-state levels of rRNA precursors, applicable to studies in mammalian cells and other organisms. We include protocols for gel electrophoresis and northern blotting of rRNA precursors using procedures optimized for the large size of these RNAs. We also describe the ratio analysis of multiple precursors, a technique that facilitates the accurate assessment of changes in the efficiency of individual pre-rRNA processing steps. PMID:27576717

Eighteen renal biopsy specimens obtained from patients with AA-type renal amyloidosis (AA) and 11 from patients with AL-type renal amyloidosis (AL), for whom both light and electron microscopy as well as immunofluorescence microscopy and full clinical data were available, were examined quantitatively. The cases were selected on the basis of immunohistochemical studies. As a control, we used 10 biopsy specimens from the kidneys removed because of trauma. Morphometric investigations were carried out by a computer image analysis system to find an answer to the question of whether mast cells can correlate with tubulointerstitial fibrosis in AA and AL renal amyloidosis, and to examine the relationship between mast cells and interstitial alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expression and interstitial infiltrates. The morphometric study revealed that the mean values of the interstitial tryptase-positive cells, expression of alpha-SMA, interstitial volume, CD68+, CD45RB+, CD43+ and CD20+ cells were increased in AA as compared with the AL group, most of them significantly. Most of these parameters were also significantly increased in both AA and AL patients as compared with the control group. In both the AA group and the AL group, there existed some significant positive correlations between interstitial tryptase-positive cells and interstitial expression of alpha-SMA, interstitial volume and CD68+ cells. Interestingly, in AA cases, but not in AL cases, we noted a significant relationship between interstitial tryptase-positive cells and CD43+ cells. Our findings demonstrate that mast cells belong to the constitutive cell types in the interstitium in renal amyloidosis, in particular in amyloid type A. In addition, in both the AA group and the AL group, the significant positive correlations between interstitial mast cell count and relative interstitial volume and interstitial expression of alpha-SMA suggest that these cells play a role in the development of interstitial

The detection and quantitation of-cristobalite in quartz is necessary to calculate threshold value limits (TVL) for free crystalline silica (FCS) as proposed by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). The cristobalite standard used in this study was made by heating diatomaceous earth to the transition temperature for cristobalite. The potassium bromide (KBR) pellet method was used for the analysis. Potassium cyanide (KCN) was used as an internal standard. Samples ranged from 5% to 30% cris-tobalite in quartz. Precision for this method is within 2%.

A new approach for qualitative and quantitative proteomic analysis using capillary liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to study the protein expression response in mycobacteria following isoniazid treatment is discussed. In keeping with known effects on the fatty acid synthase II pathway, proteins encoded by the kas operon (AcpM, KasA, KasB, Accd6) were significantly overexpressed, as were those involved in iron metabolism and cell division suggesting a complex interplay of metabolic events leading to cell death. PMID:16396495

To date, most genetic analyses of phenotypes have focused on analyzing single traits or analyzing each phenotype independently. However, joint epistasis analysis of multiple complementary traits will increase statistical power and improve our understanding of the complicated genetic structure of the complex diseases. Despite their importance in uncovering the genetic structure of complex traits, the statistical methods for identifying epistasis in multiple phenotypes remains fundamentally unexplored. To fill this gap, we formulate a test for interaction between two genes in multiple quantitative trait analysis as a multiple functional regression (MFRG) in which the genotype functions (genetic variant profiles) are defined as a function of the genomic position of the genetic variants. We use large-scale simulations to calculate Type I error rates for testing interaction between two genes with multiple phenotypes and to compare the power with multivariate pairwise interaction analysis and single trait interaction analysis by a single variate functional regression model. To further evaluate performance, the MFRG for epistasis analysis is applied to five phenotypes of exome sequence data from the NHLBI’s Exome Sequencing Project (ESP) to detect pleiotropic epistasis. A total of 267 pairs of genes that formed a genetic interaction network showed significant evidence of epistasis influencing five traits. The results demonstrate that the joint interaction analysis of multiple phenotypes has a much higher power to detect interaction than the interaction analysis of a single trait and may open a new direction to fully uncovering the genetic structure of multiple phenotypes. PMID:27104857

To date, most genetic analyses of phenotypes have focused on analyzing single traits or analyzing each phenotype independently. However, joint epistasis analysis of multiple complementary traits will increase statistical power and improve our understanding of the complicated genetic structure of the complex diseases. Despite their importance in uncovering the genetic structure of complex traits, the statistical methods for identifying epistasis in multiple phenotypes remains fundamentally unexplored. To fill this gap, we formulate a test for interaction between two genes in multiple quantitative trait analysis as a multiple functional regression (MFRG) in which the genotype functions (genetic variant profiles) are defined as a function of the genomic position of the genetic variants. We use large-scale simulations to calculate Type I error rates for testing interaction between two genes with multiple phenotypes and to compare the power with multivariate pairwise interaction analysis and single trait interaction analysis by a single variate functional regression model. To further evaluate performance, the MFRG for epistasis analysis is applied to five phenotypes of exome sequence data from the NHLBI's Exome Sequencing Project (ESP) to detect pleiotropic epistasis. A total of 267 pairs of genes that formed a genetic interaction network showed significant evidence of epistasis influencing five traits. The results demonstrate that the joint interaction analysis of multiple phenotypes has a much higher power to detect interaction than the interaction analysis of a single trait and may open a new direction to fully uncovering the genetic structure of multiple phenotypes. PMID:27104857

Multivariate calibration methods are very useful for improving the precision, accuracy, and reliability of quantitative spectral analyses. Spectroscopists can more effectively use these sophisticated statistical tools if they have a qualitative understanding of the techniques involved. A qualitative picture of the factor analysis multivariate calibration methods of partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) is presented using infrared calibrations based upon spectra of phosphosilicate glass thin films on silicon wafers. Comparisons of the relative prediction abilities of four different multivariate calibration methods are given based on Monte Carlo simulations of spectral calibration and prediction data. The success of multivariate spectral calibrations is demonstrated for several quantitative infrared studies. The infrared absorption and emission spectra of thin-film dielectrics used in the manufacture of microelectronic devices demonstrate rapid, nondestructive at-line and in- situ analyses using PLS calibrations. Finally, the application of multivariate spectral calibrations to reagentless analysis of blood is presented. We have found that the determination of glucose in whole blood taken from diabetics can be precisely monitored from the PLS calibration of either mid- or near-infrared spectra of the blood. Progress toward the noninvasive determination of glucose levels in diabetics is an ultimate goal of this research.

Rubrene is one of the most studied organic semiconductors to date due to its high charge carrier mobility which makes it a potentially applicable compound in modern electronic devices. Previous electronic device characterizations and first principles theoretical calculations assigned the semiconducting properties of rubrene to the presence of a large overlap of the extended π-conjugated core between molecules. We present here the electron density distribution in rubrene at 20 K and at 100 K obtained using a combination of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The topology of the electron density and energies of intermolecular interactions are studied quantitatively. Specifically, the presence of Cπ...Cπinteractions between neighbouring tetracene backbones of the rubrene molecules is experimentally confirmed from a topological analysis of the electron density, Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI) analysis and the calculated interaction energy of molecular dimers. A significant contribution to the lattice energy of the crystal is provided by H—H interactions. The electron density features of H—H bonding, and the interaction energy of molecular dimers connected by H—H interaction clearly demonstrate an importance of these weak interactions in the stabilization of the crystal structure. Finally, the quantitative nature of the intermolecular interactions is virtually unchanged between 20 K and 100 K suggesting that any changes in carrier transport at these low temperatures would have a different origin. The obtained experimental results are further supported by theoretical calculations.

Rubrene is one of the most studied organic semiconductors to date due to its high charge carrier mobility which makes it a potentially applicable compound in modern electronic devices. Previous electronic device characterizations and first principles theoretical calculations assigned the semiconducting properties of rubrene to the presence of a large overlap of the extended π-conjugated core between molecules. We present here the electron density distribution in rubrene at 20 K and at 100 K obtained using a combination of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The topology of the electron density and energies of intermolecular interactions are studied quantitatively. Specifically,more » the presence of Cπ...Cπinteractions between neighbouring tetracene backbones of the rubrene molecules is experimentally confirmed from a topological analysis of the electron density, Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI) analysis and the calculated interaction energy of molecular dimers. A significant contribution to the lattice energy of the crystal is provided by H—H interactions. The electron density features of H—H bonding, and the interaction energy of molecular dimers connected by H—H interaction clearly demonstrate an importance of these weak interactions in the stabilization of the crystal structure. Finally, the quantitative nature of the intermolecular interactions is virtually unchanged between 20 K and 100 K suggesting that any changes in carrier transport at these low temperatures would have a different origin. The obtained experimental results are further supported by theoretical calculations.« less

Rubrene is one of the most studied organic semiconductors to date due to its high charge carrier mobility which makes it a potentially applicable compound in modern electronic devices. Previous electronic device characterizations and first principles theoretical calculations assigned the semiconducting properties of rubrene to the presence of a large overlap of the extended π-conjugated core between molecules. We present here the electron density distribution in rubrene at 20 K and at 100 K obtained using a combination of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction data. The topology of the electron density and energies of intermolecular interactions are studied quantitatively. Specifically, the presence of Cπ⋯Cπ interactions between neighbouring tetracene backbones of the rubrene molecules is experimentally confirmed from a topological analysis of the electron density, Non-Covalent Interaction (NCI) analysis and the calculated interaction energy of molecular dimers. A significant contribution to the lattice energy of the crystal is provided by H—H interactions. The electron density features of H—H bonding, and the interaction energy of molecular dimers connected by H—H interaction clearly demonstrate an importance of these weak interactions in the stabilization of the crystal structure. The quantitative nature of the intermolecular interactions is virtually unchanged between 20 K and 100 K suggesting that any changes in carrier transport at these low temperatures would have a different origin. The obtained experimental results are further supported by theoretical calculations. PMID:26306198

Many studies have documented abnormal horizontal and vertical eye movements in human neurodegenerative disease as well as during altered states of consciousness (including drowsiness and intoxication) in healthy adults. Eye movement measurement may play an important role measuring the progress of neurodegenerative diseases and state of alertness in healthy individuals. There are several techniques for measuring eye movement, Infrared detection technique (IR). Video-oculography (VOG), Scleral eye coil and EOG. Among those available recording techniques, EOG is a major source for monitoring the abnormal eye movement. In this real-time quantitativeanalysis study, the methods which can capture the characteristic of the eye movement were proposed to accurately categorize the state of neurodegenerative subjects. The EOG recordings were taken while 5 tested subjects were watching a short (>120 s) animation clip. In response to the animated clip the participants executed a number of eye movements, including vertical smooth pursued (SVP), horizontal smooth pursued (HVP) and random saccades (RS). Detection of abnormalities in ocular movement may improve our diagnosis and understanding a neurodegenerative disease and altered states of consciousness. A standard real-time quantitativeanalysis will improve detection and provide a better understanding of pathology in these disorders.

Multivariate calibration methods are very useful for improving the precision, accuracy, and reliability of quantitative spectral analyses. Spectroscopists can more effectively use these sophisticated statistical tools if they have a qualitative understanding of the techniques involved. A qualitative picture of the factor analysis multivariate calibration methods of partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) is presented using infrared calibrations based upon spectra of phosphosilicate glass thin films on silicon wafers. Comparisons of the relative prediction abilities of four different multivariate calibration methods are given based on Monte Carlo simulations of spectral calibration and prediction data. The success of multivariate spectral calibrations is demonstrated for several quantitative infrared studies. The infrared absorption and emission spectra of thin-film dielectrics used in the manufacture of microelectronic devices demonstrate rapid, nondestructive at-line and in-situ analyses using PLS calibrations. Finally, the application of multivariate spectral calibrations to reagentless analysis of blood is presented. We have found that the determination of glucose in whole blood taken from diabetics can be precisely monitored from the PLS calibration of either mind- or near-infrared spectra of the blood. Progress toward the non-invasive determination of glucose levels in diabetics is an ultimate goal of this research. 13 refs., 4 figs.

Image analysis is vital for extracting quantitative information from biological images and is used extensively, including investigations in developmental biology. The technique commences with the segmentation (delineation) of objects of interest from 2D images or 3D image stacks and is usually followed by the measurement and classification of the segmented objects. This chapter focuses on the segmentation task and here we explain the use of ImageJ, MIPAV (Medical Image Processing, Analysis, and Visualization), and VisSeg, three freely available software packages for this purpose. ImageJ and MIPAV are extremely versatile and can be used in diverse applications. VisSeg is a specialized tool for performing highly accurate and reliable 2D and 3D segmentation of objects such as cells and cell nuclei in images and stacks. PMID:24318825

A vision is presented for fusing quantitative requirements analysis with model-based systems engineering. This vision draws upon and combines emergent themes in the engineering milieu. "Requirements engineering" provides means to explicitly represent requirements (both functional and non-functional) as constraints and preferences on acceptable solutions, and emphasizes early-lifecycle review, analysis and verification of design and development plans. "Design by shopping" emphasizes revealing the space of options available from which to choose (without presuming that all selection criteria have previously been elicited), and provides means to make understandable the range of choices and their ramifications. "Model-based engineering" emphasizes the goal of utilizing a formal representation of all aspects of system design, from development through operations, and provides powerful tool suites that support the practical application of these principles. A first step prototype towards this vision is described, embodying the key capabilities. Illustrations, implications, further challenges and opportunities are outlined.

The increasing use of mathematical techniques in scientific research leads to the interdisciplinarity of applied mathematics. This viewpoint is validated quantitatively here by statistical and network analysis on the corpus PNAS 1999–2013. A network describing the interdisciplinary relationships between disciplines in a panoramic view is built based on the corpus. Specific network indicators show the hub role of applied mathematics in interdisciplinary research. The statistical analysis on the corpus content finds that algorithms, a primary topic of applied mathematics, positively correlates, increasingly co-occurs, and has an equilibrium relationship in the long-run with certain typical research paradigms and methodologies. The finding can be understood as an intrinsic cause of the interdisciplinarity of applied mathematics. PMID:26352604

We describe a simple method for quantitative chemical analysis of urinary calculi requiring no specialized equipment. Pulverized calculi are dried over silica gel at room temperature and dissolved in nitric acid, which was the only effective agent for complete dissolution. Calcium, magnesium, ammonium, and phosphate are then determined by conventional methods. Oxalate is determined by a method based on the quenching action of oxalate on the fluorescence of a zirconium-flavonol complex. Uric acid, when treated with nitric acid, is stoichiometrically converted to alloxan, which is determined fluorimetrically with 1,2-phenylenediamine. Similarly, cystine is oxidized by nitric acid to sulfate, which is determined turbidimetrically as barium sulfate. Protein is determined spectrophotometrically as xanthoprotein. The total mass recovery of authentic calculi was 92.2 +/- 6.7 (SD) per cent. The method permits analysis of calculi as small as 1.0 mg. Internal quality control is performed with specially designed control samples. PMID:6086179

For the defects of requiring carrier gas and regular calibration, and low safety using chromatography to on line monitor transformer dissolved gases, it was attempted to establish a dissolved gas analysis system based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Taking into account the small amount of characteristic gases, many components, detection limit and safety requirements and the difficulty of degasser to put an end to the presence of interference gas, the quantitativeanalysis model was established based on sparse partial least squares, piecewise section correction and feature variable extraction algorithm using improvement TR regularization. With the characteristic gas of CH4, C2H6, C2H6, and CO2, the results show that using FTIR meets DGA requirements with the spectrum wave number resolution of 1 cm(-1) and optical path of 10 cm. PMID:24369641

The increasing use of mathematical techniques in scientific research leads to the interdisciplinarity of applied mathematics. This viewpoint is validated quantitatively here by statistical and network analysis on the corpus PNAS 1999-2013. A network describing the interdisciplinary relationships between disciplines in a panoramic view is built based on the corpus. Specific network indicators show the hub role of applied mathematics in interdisciplinary research. The statistical analysis on the corpus content finds that algorithms, a primary topic of applied mathematics, positively correlates, increasingly co-occurs, and has an equilibrium relationship in the long-run with certain typical research paradigms and methodologies. The finding can be understood as an intrinsic cause of the interdisciplinarity of applied mathematics. PMID:26352604

Northern Tunisia is characterized by low deformation rates and low to moderate seismicity. Although instrumental seismicity reaches maximum magnitudes of Mw 5.5, some historical earthquakes have occurred with catastrophic consequences in this region. Aiming to improve our knowledge of active tectonics in Tunisia, we carried out both a quantitative morphometric analysis and field study in the north-western region. We applied different morphometric tools, like river profiles, knickpoint analysis, hypsometric curves and integrals and drainage pattern anomalies in order to differentiate between zones with high or low recent tectonic activity. This analysis helps identifying uplift and subsidence zones, which we relate to fault activity. Several active faults in a sparse distribution were identified. A selected sector was studied with a field campaign to test the results obtained with the quantitativeanalysis. During the fieldwork we identified geological evidence of recent activity and a considerable seismogenic potential along El Alia-Teboursouk (ETF) and Dkhila (DF) faults. The ETF fault could be responsible of one of the most devastating historical earthquakes in northern Tunisia that destroyed Utique in 412 A.D. Geological evidence include fluvial terraces folded by faults, striated and cracked pebbles, clastic dikes, sand volcanoes, coseismic cracks, etc. Although not reflected in the instrumental seismicity, our results support an important seismic hazard, evidenced by the several active tectonic structures identified and the two seismogenic faults described. After obtaining the current active tectonic framework of Tunisia we discuss our results within the western Mediterranean trying to contribute to the understanding of the western Mediterranean tectonic context. With our results, we suggest that the main reason explaining the sparse and scarce seismicity of the area in contrast with the adjacent parts of the Nubia-Eurasia boundary is due to its extended

High-resolution, real-time ultrasound is a routine examination for assessing the disorders of the thyroid gland. However, the current diagnosis practice is based mainly on qualitative evaluation of the resulting sonograms, therefore depending on the physician's experience. Computerized texture analysis is widely employed in sonographic images of various organs (liver, breast), and it has been proven to increase the sensitivity of diagnosis by providing a better tissue characterization. The present study attempts to characterize thyroid tissue by automatic texture analysis. The texture features that are calculated are based on co-occurrence matrices as they have been proposed by Haralick. The sample consists of 40 patients. For each patient two sonographic images (one for each lobe) are recorded in DICOM format. The lobe is manually delineated in each sonogram, and the co-occurrence matrices for 52 separation vectors are calculated. The texture features extracted from each one of these matrices are: contrast, correlation, energy and homogeneity. Primary component analysis is used to select the optimal set of features. The statistical analysis resulted in the extraction of 21 optimal descriptors. The optimal descriptors are all co-occurrence parameters as the first-order statistics did not prove to be representative of the images characteristics. The bigger number of components depends mainly on correlation for very close or very far distances. The results indicate that quantitativeanalysis of thyroid sonograms can provide an objective characterization of thyroid tissue.

Labeling-based proteomics is a powerful method for detection of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The current data analysis platform typically relies on protein-level ratios, which is obtained by summarizing peptide-level ratios for each protein. In shotgun proteomics, however, some proteins are quantified with more peptides than others, and this reproducibility information is not incorporated into the differential expression (DE) analysis. Here, we propose a novel probabilistic framework EBprot that directly models the peptide-protein hierarchy and rewards the proteins with reproducible evidence of DE over multiple peptides. To evaluate its performance with known DE states, we conducted a simulation study to show that the peptide-level analysis of EBprot provides better receiver-operating characteristic and more accurate estimation of the false discovery rates than the methods based on protein-level ratios. We also demonstrate superior classification performance of peptide-level EBprot analysis in a spike-in dataset. To illustrate the wide applicability of EBprot in different experimental designs, we applied EBprot to a dataset for lung cancer subtype analysis with biological replicates and another dataset for time course phosphoproteome analysis of EGF-stimulated HeLa cells with multiplexed labeling. Through these examples, we show that the peptide-level analysis of EBprot is a robust alternative to the existing statistical methods for the DE analysis of labeling-based quantitative datasets. The software suite is freely available on the Sourceforge website http://ebprot.sourceforge.net/. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001426 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD001426/). PMID:25913743

Functional linear models are developed in this paper for testing associations between quantitative traits and genetic variants, which can be rare variants or common variants or the combination of the two. By treating multiple genetic variants of an individual in a human population as a realization of a stochastic process, the genome of an individual in a chromosome region is a continuum of sequence data rather than discrete observations. The genome of an individual is viewed as a stochastic function that contains both linkage and linkage disequilibrium (LD) information of the genetic markers. By using techniques of functional data analysis, both fixed and mixed effect functional linear models are built to test the association between quantitative traits and genetic variants adjusting for covariates. After extensive simulation analysis, it is shown that the F-distributed tests of the proposed fixed effect functional linear models have higher power than that of sequence kernel association test (SKAT) and its optimal unified test (SKAT-O) for three scenarios in most cases: (1) the causal variants are all rare, (2) the causal variants are both rare and common, and (3) the causal variants are common. The superior performance of the fixed effect functional linear models is most likely due to its optimal utilization of both genetic linkage and LD information of multiple genetic variants in a genome and similarity among different individuals, while SKAT and SKAT-O only model the similarities and pairwise LD but do not model linkage and higher order LD information sufficiently. In addition, the proposed fixed effect models generate accurate type I error rates in simulation studies. We also show that the functional kernel score tests of the proposed mixed effect functional linear models are preferable in candidate gene analysis and small sample problems. The methods are applied to analyze three biochemical traits in data from the Trinity Students Study. PMID:24130119

Chennai, also called as Detroit of India due to presence of Automotive Industry producing over 40 % of the India's vehicle and components. During 2001-2002, the Automotive Component Industries (ACI) in Ambattur, Thirumalizai and Thirumudivakkam Industrial Estate, Chennai has faced problems on infrastructure, technology, procurement, production and marketing. The objective is to study the Quantitative Performance of Chennai Automotive Industry Cluster before (2001-2002) and after the CDA (2008-2009). The methodology adopted is collection of primary data from 100 ACI using quantitative questionnaire and analyzing using Correlation Analysis (CA), Regression Analysis (RA), Friedman Test (FMT), and Kruskall Wallis Test (KWT).The CA computed for the different set of variables reveals that there is high degree of relationship between the variables studied. The RA models constructed establish the strong relationship between the dependent variable and a host of independent variables. The models proposed here reveal the approximate relationship in a closer form. KWT proves, there is no significant difference between three locations clusters with respect to: Net Profit, Production Cost, Marketing Costs, Procurement Costs and Gross Output. This supports that each location has contributed for development of automobile component cluster uniformly. The FMT proves, there is no significant difference between industrial units in respect of cost like Production, Infrastructure, Technology, Marketing and Net Profit. To conclude, the Automotive Industries have fully utilized the Physical Infrastructure and Centralised Facilities by adopting CDA and now exporting their products to North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia. The value chain analysis models have been implemented in all the cluster units. This Cluster Development Approach (CDA) model can be implemented in industries of under developed and developing countries for cost reduction and productivity

Chennai, also called as Detroit of India due to presence of Automotive Industry producing over 40 % of the India's vehicle and components. During 2001-2002, the Automotive Component Industries (ACI) in Ambattur, Thirumalizai and Thirumudivakkam Industrial Estate, Chennai has faced problems on infrastructure, technology, procurement, production and marketing. The objective is to study the Quantitative Performance of Chennai Automotive Industry Cluster before (2001-2002) and after the CDA (2008-2009). The methodology adopted is collection of primary data from 100 ACI using quantitative questionnaire and analyzing using Correlation Analysis (CA), Regression Analysis (RA), Friedman Test (FMT), and Kruskall Wallis Test (KWT).The CA computed for the different set of variables reveals that there is high degree of relationship between the variables studied. The RA models constructed establish the strong relationship between the dependent variable and a host of independent variables. The models proposed here reveal the approximate relationship in a closer form. KWT proves, there is no significant difference between three locations clusters with respect to: Net Profit, Production Cost, Marketing Costs, Procurement Costs and Gross Output. This supports that each location has contributed for development of automobile component cluster uniformly. The FMT proves, there is no significant difference between industrial units in respect of cost like Production, Infrastructure, Technology, Marketing and Net Profit. To conclude, the Automotive Industries have fully utilized the Physical Infrastructure and Centralised Facilities by adopting CDA and now exporting their products to North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Africa and Asia. The value chain analysis models have been implemented in all the cluster units. This Cluster Development Approach (CDA) model can be implemented in industries of under developed and developing countries for cost reduction and productivity

In this study we demonstrate the capability of cross-polarization optical coherence tomography (CP OCT) to assess collagen and elastin fibers condition in atherosclerotic plaques basing on ratio of the OCT signal levels in cross- and co- polarizations. We consider the depolarization factor (DF) and the effective birefringence (Δn) as quantitative characteristics of CP OCT images. We revealed that calculation of both DF and Δn in the region of interest (fibrous cap) yields a statistically significant difference between stable and unstable plaques (0.46+/-0.21 vs 0.09+/-0.04 for IDF; (4.7+/-1.0)•10-4 vs (2.5+/-0.7)•10-4 for Δn p<0.05). In parallel with CP OCT we used the nonlinear microscopy for analysis of thin cross-section of atherosclerotic plaque, revealing the different average isotropy index of collagen and elastin fibers for stable and unstable plaques (0.30 +/- 0.10 vs 0.70 +/- 0.08; p<0.001). The proposed approach for quantitative assessment of CP OCT images allows cross-scattering and birefringence characterization of stable and unstable atherosclerotic plaques.

Motivation: In most quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies, phenotypes are assumed to follow normal distributions. Deviations from this assumption may affect the accuracy of QTL detection and lead to detection of spurious QTLs. To improve the robustness of QTL mapping methods, we replaced the normal distribution for residuals in multiple interacting QTL models with the normal/independent distributions that are a class of symmetric and long-tailed distributions and are able to accommodate residual outliers. Subsequently, we developed a Bayesian robust analysis strategy for dissecting genetic architecture of quantitative traits and for mapping genome-wide interacting QTLs in line crosses. Results: Through computer simulations, we showed that our strategy had a similar power for QTL detection compared with traditional methods assuming normal-distributed traits, but had a substantially increased power for non-normal phenotypes. When this strategy was applied to a group of traits associated with physical/chemical characteristics and quality in rice, more main and epistatic QTLs were detected than traditional Bayesian model analyses under the normal assumption. Contact: runqingyang@sjtu.edu.cn; dengh@umkc.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:18974168

The specific functions of gene products frequently depend on the developmental context in which they are expressed. Thus, studies on gene function will benefit from systems that allow for manipulation of gene expression within model systems where the developmental context is well defined. Here we describe a system that allows for genetically controlled overexpression of any gene of interest under normal physiological conditions in the early Drosophila embryo. This regulated expression is achieved through the use of Drosophila lines that express a maternal mRNA for the yeast transcription factor GAL4. Embryos derived from females that express GAL4 maternally activate GAL4-dependent UAS transgenes at uniform levels throughout the embryo during the blastoderm stage of embryogenesis. The expression levels can be quantitatively manipulated through the use of lines that have different levels of maternal GAL4 activity. Specific phenotypes are produced by expression of a number of different developmental regulators with this system, including genes that normally do not function during Drosophila embryogenesis. Analysis of the response to overexpression of runt provides evidence that this pair-rule segmentation gene has a direct role in repressing transcription of the segment-polarity gene engrailed. The maternal GAL4 system will have applications both for the measurement of gene activity in reverse genetic experiments as well as for the identification of genetic factors that have quantitative effects on gene function in vivo. PMID:10628987

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system with a presumed immune-mediated etiology. For treatment of MS, the measurements of white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) are often used in conjunction with clinical evaluation to provide a more objective measure of MS burden. In this paper, we apply a new unifying automatic mixture-based algorithm for segmentation of brain tissues to quantitatively analyze MS. The method takes into account the following effects that commonly appear in MR imaging: 1) The MR data is modeled as a stochastic process with an inherent inhomogeneity effect of smoothly varying intensity; 2) A new partial volume (PV) model is built in establishing the maximum a posterior (MAP) segmentation scheme; 3) Noise artifacts are minimized by a priori Markov random field (MRF) penalty indicating neighborhood correlation from tissue mixture. The volumes of brain tissues (WM, GM) and CSF are extracted from the mixture-based segmentation. Experimental results of feasibility studies on quantitativeanalysis of MS are presented.

Voice and swallowing dysfunction as a result of recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis can be improved with vocal fold injections or laryngeal framework surgery. However, denervation atrophy can cause late-term clinical failure. A major determinant of skeletal muscle physiology is myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression, and previous protein analyses have shown changes in laryngeal muscle fiber MyHC isoform with denervation. RNA analyses in this setting have not been performed, and understanding RNA levels will allow interventions better designed to reverse processes such as denervation in the future. Total RNA was extracted from bilateral rat thyroarytenoid (TA), posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA), and cricothyroid (CT) muscles in rats. Primers were designed using published MyHC isoform sequences. SYBR Green real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (SYBR-RT-PCR) was used for quantification. The electropherogram showed a clear separation of total RNA to 28S and 18S subunits. Melting curves illustrated single peaks for all type MyHC primers. All MyHC isoforms were identified in all muscles with various degrees of expression. Quantitative PCR is a sensitive method to detect MyHC isoforms in laryngeal muscle. Isoform expression using mRNA analysis was similar to previous analyses but showed some important differences. This technique can be used to quantitatively assess response to interventions targeted to maintain muscle bulk after denervation. PMID:20430402

A coupled diffuse-photon-density-wave and thermal-wave theoretical model was developed to describe the biothermophotonic phenomena in multi-layered hard tissue structures. Photothermal Radiometry was applied as a safe, non-destructive, and highly sensitive tool for the detection of early tooth enamel demineralization to test the theory. Extracted human tooth was treated sequentially with an artificial demineralization gel to simulate controlled mineral loss in the enamel. The experimental setup included a semiconductor laser (659 nm, 120 mW) as the source of the photothermal signal. Modulated laser light generated infrared blackbody radiation from teeth upon absorption and nonradiative energy conversion. The infrared flux emitted by the treated region of the tooth surface and sub-surface was monitored with an infrared detector, both before and after treatment. Frequency scans with a laser beam size of 3 mm were performed in order to guarantee one-dimensionality of the photothermal field. TMR images showed clear differences between sound and demineralized enamel, however this technique is destructive. Dental radiographs did not indicate any changes. The photothermal signal showed clear change even after 1 min of gel treatment. As a result of the fittings, thermal and optical properties of sound and demineralized enamel were obtained, which allowed for quantitative differentiation of healthy and non-healthy regions. In conclusion, the developed model was shown to be a promising tool for non-invasive quantitativeanalysis of early demineralization of hard tissues.

Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminum oxide (Al(2)O(3)) and is one of the rock-forming minerals. When aluminum oxide is pure, the mineral is colorless, but the presence of trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, and chromium in the crystal lattice gives the typical colors (including blue, red, violet, pink, green, yellow, orange, gray, white, colorless, and black) of gemstone varieties. The starting point for our work is the quantitative evaluation of the concentration of chromophore chemical elements with a precision as good as possible to match the data obtained by different techniques as such as optical absorption photoluminescence. The aim is to give an interpretation of the absorption bands present in the NIR and visible ranges which do not involve intervalence charge transfer transitions (Fe(2+) --> Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) --> Ti(4+)), commonly considered responsible of the important features of the blue sapphire absorption spectra. So, we developed a method to evaluate as accurately as possible the autoabsorption effects and the secondary excitation effects which frequently are sources of relevant errors in the quantitative EDXRF analysis. PMID:19821113

Conventional immunohistochemistry is limited to subjective judgment based on human experience and thus it is clinically required to develop a quantitativeimmunohistochemical detection. 3,3'-Diaminobenzidin (DAB) aggregates, a type of staining product formed by conventional immunohistochemistry, were found to have a special optical property of dark-field imaging for the first time, and the mechanism was explored. On this basis, a novel immunohistochemical method based on dark-field imaging for detecting HER2 overexpressed in breast cancer was established, and the quantitativeanalysis standard and relevant software for measuring the scattering intensity was developed. In order to achieve a more sensitive detection, the HRP (horseradish peroxidase)-labeled secondary antibodies conjugated gold nanoparticles were constructed as nanoprobes to load more HRP enzymes, resulting in an enhanced DAB deposition as a dark-field label. Simultaneously, gold nanoparticles also act as a synergistically enhanced agent due to their mimicry of enzyme catalysis and dark-field scattering properties.Conventional immunohistochemistry is limited to subjective judgment based on human experience and thus it is clinically required to develop a quantitativeimmunohistochemical detection. 3,3'-Diaminobenzidin (DAB) aggregates, a type of staining product formed by conventional immunohistochemistry, were found to have a special optical property of dark-field imaging for the first time, and the mechanism was explored. On this basis, a novel immunohistochemical method based on dark-field imaging for detecting HER2 overexpressed in breast cancer was established, and the quantitativeanalysis standard and relevant software for measuring the scattering intensity was developed. In order to achieve a more sensitive detection, the HRP (horseradish peroxidase)-labeled secondary antibodies conjugated gold nanoparticles were constructed as nanoprobes to load more HRP enzymes, resulting in an enhanced DAB

Experimental evidence from animal models of the absence seizures suggests a focal source for the initiation of generalized spike-and-wave (GSW) discharges. Furthermore, clinical studies indicate that patients diagnosed with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) exhibit focal electroencephalographic abnormalities, which involve the thalamo-cortical circuitry. This circuitry is a key network that has been implicated in the initiation of generalized discharges, and may contribute to the pathophysiology of GSW discharges. Quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) analysis may be able to detect abnormalities associated with the initiation of GSW discharges. The objective of this study was to determine whether interictal GSW discharges exhibit focal characteristics using qEEG analysis. In this study, 75 EEG recordings from 64 patients were analyzed. All EEG recordings analyzed contained at least one GSW discharge. EEG recordings were obtained by a 22-channel recorder with electrodes positioned according to the international 10-20 system of electrode placement. EEG activity was recorded for 20 min including photic stimulation and hyperventilation. The EEG recordings were visually inspected, and the first unequivocally confirmed generalized spike was marked for each discharge. Three methods of source imaging analysis were applied: dipole source imaging (DSI), classical LORETA analysis recursively applied (CLARA), and equivalent dipole of independent components with cluster analysis. A total of 753 GSW discharges were identified and spatiotemporally analyzed. Source evaluation analysis using all three techniques revealed that the frontal lobe was the principal source of GSW discharges (70%), followed by the parietal and occipital lobes (14%), and the basal ganglia (12%). The main anatomical sources of GSW discharges were the anterior cingulate cortex (36%) and the medial frontal gyrus (23%). Source analysis did not reveal a common focal source of GSW discharges. However

Imaging by Raman spectroscopy enables unparalleled label-free insights into cell and tissue composition at the molecular level. With established approaches limited to single image analysis, there are currently no general guidelines or consensus on how to quantify biochemical components across multiple Raman images. Here, we describe a broadly applicable methodology for the combination of multiple Raman images into a single image for analysis. This is achieved by removing image specific background interference, unfolding the series of Raman images into a single dataset, and normalisation of each Raman spectrum to render comparable Raman images. Multivariate image analysis is finally applied to derive the contributing 'pure' biochemical spectra for relative quantification. We present our methodology using four independently measured Raman images of control cells and four images of cells treated with strontium ions from substituted bioactive glass. We show that the relative biochemical distribution per area of the cells can be quantified. In addition, using k-means clustering, we are able to discriminate between the two cell types over multiple Raman images. This study shows a streamlined quantitative multi-image analysis tool for improving cell/tissue characterisation and opens new avenues in biomedical Raman spectroscopic imaging. PMID:26833935

The analysis presented provides a quantitative measure of the reconstruction or interpolation performance of linear, shift-invariant interpolants. The performance criterion is the mean square error of the difference between the sampled and reconstructed functions. The analysis is applicable to reconstruction algorithms used in image processing and to many types of splines used in numerical analysis and computer graphics. When formulated in the frequency domain, the mean square error clearly separates the contribution of the interpolation method from the contribution of the sampled data. The equations provide a rational basis for selecting an optimal interpolant; that is, one which minimizes the mean square error. The analysis has been applied to a selection of frequently used data splines and reconstruction algorithms: parametric cubic and quintic Hermite splines, exponential and nu splines (including the special case of the cubic spline), parametric cubic convolution, Keys' fourth-order cubic, and a cubic with a discontinuous first derivative. The emphasis in this paper is on the image-dependent case in which no a priori knowledge of the frequency spectrum of the sampled function is assumed.

The utility of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for categorizing different types of gallbladder stone has been demonstrated by analyzing their major and minor constituents. LIBS spectra of three types of gallstone have been recorded in the 200-900 nm spectral region. Calcium is found to be the major element in all types of gallbladder stone. The spectrophotometric method has been used to classify the stones. A calibration-free LIBS method has been used for the quantitativeanalysis of metal elements, and the results have been compared with those obtained from inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) measurements. The single-shot LIBS spectra from different points on the cross section (in steps of 0.5 mm from one end to the other) of gallstones have also been recorded to study the variation of constituents from the center to the surface. The presence of different metal elements and their possible role in gallstone formation is discussed.

A threshold model of latent liability was applied to infant and toddler twin data on total count of injuries sustained during the interval from birth to 36 months of age. A quantitative genetic analysis of estimated twin correlations in injury liability indicated strong genetic dominance effects, but no additive genetic variance was detected. Because interpretations involving overdominance have little research support, the results may be due to low order epistasis or other interaction effects. Boys had more injuries than girls, but this effect was found only for groups whose parents were prompted and questioned in detail about their children`s injuries. Activity and impulsivity are two behavioral predictors of childhood injury, and the results are discussed in relation to animal research on infant and adult activity levels, and impulsivity in adult humans. Genetic epidemiological approaches to childhood injury should aid in targeting higher risk children for preventive intervention. 30 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs.

The purpose of this study was to quantitatively describe the various aspects of regional distribution patterns of forest islands and relate those patterns to other landscape features. Several maps showing the forest cover of various counties in Ohio were selected as representative examples of forest patterns to be quantified. Ten thousand hectare study areas (landscapes) were delineated on each map. A total of 15 landscapes representing a wide variety of forest island patterns was chosen. Data were converted into a series of continuous variables which contained information pertinent to the sizes, shape, numbers, and spacing of woodlots within a landscape. The continuous variables were used in a factor analysis to describe the variation among landscapes in terms of forest island pattern. The results showed that forest island patterns are related to topography and other environmental features correlated with topography.

Charged particles ranging in energy from 0.8 to 4.0 MeV are used to induce resonant nuclear reactions, Coulomb excitation (gamma X-rays), and X-ray emission in both thick and thin targets. Quantitativeanalysis is possible for elements from Li to Pb in complex environmental samples, although the matrix can severely reduce the sensitivity. It is necessary to use a comparator technique for the gamma-rays, while for X-rays an internal standard can be used. A USGS standard rock is analyzed for a total of 28 elements. Water samples can be analyzed either by nebulizing the sample doped with Cs or Y onto a thin formvar film or by extracting the sample (with or without an internal standard) onto ion exchange resin which is pressed into a pellet.

Environment-assisted cracking of WE43 cast magnesium (4.2 wt.% Yt, 2.3 wt.% Nd, 0.7% Zr, 0.8% HRE) in the T6 peak-aged condition was induced in ambient air in notched specimens. The mechanism of fracture was studied using electron backscatter diffraction, serial sectioning and in situ observations of crack propagation. The intermetallic (rare earthed-enriched divorced intermetallic retained at grain boundaries and predominantly at triple points) material was found to play a significant role in initiating cracks which leads to failure of this material. Quantitative measurements were required for this project. The populations of the intermetallic and clusters of intermetallic particles were analyzed using image analysis of metallographic images. This is part of the work to generate a theoretical model of the effect of notch geometry on the static fatigue strength of this material.

The problem of accounting for a genetic estimation of expected linkage in the disposition of random loci was solved for the additive-dominant model. The Comstock-Robinson estimations for the sum of squares of dominant effects, the sum of squares of additive effects, and the average degree of dominance were modified. Also, the Wright's estimation for the number of loci controlling the variation of a quantitative trait was modified and its application sphere was extended. Formulas that should eliminate linkage, on average, were derived for these estimations. Nonbiased estimations were applied to the analysis of maize data. Our result showed that the most likely cause of heterosis is dominance rather than overdominance and that the main part of the heterotic effect is provided by dozens of genes. PMID:26601496

In this article, a portable microfluidic microscopy based approach for automated cytological investigations is presented. Inexpensive optical and electronic components have been used to construct a simple microfluidic microscopy system. In contrast to the conventional slide-based methods, the presented method employs microfluidics to enable automated sample handling and image acquisition. The approach involves the use of simple in-suspension staining and automated image acquisition to enable quantitative cytological analysis of samples. The applicability of the presented approach to research in cellular biology is shown by performing an automated cell viability assessment on a given population of yeast cells. Further, the relevance of the presented approach to clinical diagnosis and prognosis has been demonstrated by performing detection and differential assessment of malaria infection in a given sample. PMID:25990413

Scientists have made efforts to understand the beauty of painting art in their own languages. As digital image acquisition of painting arts has made rapid progress, researchers have come to a point where it is possible to perform statistical analysis of a large-scale database of artistic paints to make a bridge between art and science. Using digital image processing techniques, we investigate three quantitative measures of images – the usage of individual colors, the variety of colors, and the roughness of the brightness. We found a difference in color usage between classical paintings and photographs, and a significantly low color variety of the medieval period. Interestingly, moreover, the increment of roughness exponent as painting techniques such as chiaroscuro and sfumato have advanced is consistent with historical circumstances. PMID:25501877

The development of a sensitive assay for the quantitativeanalysis of carbohydrates from human plasma using LC/MS/MS is described in this paper. After sample preparation, carbohydrates were cationized by Cs(+) after their separation by normal phase liquid chromatography on an amino based column. Cesium is capable of forming a quasi-molecular ion [M + Cs](+) with neutral carbohydrate molecules in the positive ion mode of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The mass spectrometer was operated in multiple reaction monitoring mode, and transitions [M + 133] --> 133 were monitored (M, carbohydrate molecular weight). The new method is robust, highly sensitive, rapid, and does not require postcolumn addition or derivatization. It is useful in clinical research for measurement of carbohydrate molecules by isotope dilution assay. PMID:16182559

Tracking human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) infection at the cellular level in tissue reservoirs provides opportunities to better understand the pathogenesis of infection and to rationally design and monitor therapy A quantitative technique was developed to determine viral burden in two important cellular compartments in lymphoid tissues. Image analysis and in situ hybridization were combined to show that in the presymptomatic stages of infection there is a large, relatively stable pool of virions on the surfaces of follicular dendritic cells and a smaller pool of productively infected cells Despite evidence of constraints on HIV-1 replication in the infected cell population in lymphoid tissues, estimates of the numbers of these cells and the virus they could produce are consistent with the quantities of virus that have been detected in the bloodstream. The cellular sources of virus production and storage in lymphoid tissues can now be studied with this approach over the course of infection and treatment.

Scientists have made efforts to understand the beauty of painting art in their own languages. As digital image acquisition of painting arts has made rapid progress, researchers have come to a point where it is possible to perform statistical analysis of a large-scale database of artistic paints to make a bridge between art and science. Using digital image processing techniques, we investigate three quantitative measures of images - the usage of individual colors, the variety of colors, and the roughness of the brightness. We found a difference in color usage between classical paintings and photographs, and a significantly low color variety of the medieval period. Interestingly, moreover, the increment of roughness exponent as painting techniques such as chiaroscuro and sfumato have advanced is consistent with historical circumstances.

Background When a construct such as patients’ transition to self-management of chronic illness is studied by researchers across multiple disciplines, the meaning of key terms can become confused. This results from inherent problems in language where a term can have multiple meanings (polysemy) and different words can mean the same thing (synonymy). Objectives To test a novel quantitative method for clarifying the meaning of constructs by examining the similarity of published contexts in which they are used. Method Published terms related to the concept transition to self-management of chronic illness were analyzed using the internomological network (INN), a type of latent semantic analysis to calculate the mathematical relationships between constructs based on the contexts in which researchers use each term. This novel approach was tested by comparing results to those from concept analysis, a best-practice qualitative approach to clarifying meanings of terms. By comparing results of the two methods, the best synonyms of transition to self-management, as well as key antecedent, attribute, and consequence terms, were identified. Results Results from INN analysis were consistent with those from concept analysis. The potential synonyms self-management, transition, and adaptation had the greatest utility. Adaptation was the clearest overall synonym, but had lower cross-disciplinary use. The terms coping and readiness had more circumscribed meanings. The INN analysis confirmed key features of transition to self-management, and suggested related concepts not found by the previous review. Discussion The INN analysis is a promising novel methodology that allows researchers to quantify the semantic relationships between constructs. The method works across disciplinary boundaries, and may help to integrate the diverse literature on self-management of chronic illness. PMID:22592387

A quantitative histological study of the dilated ureter of childhood was performed on 26 ureters. The specimens were from 15 male and 11 female patients 10 days to 12 years old (mean age 2.0 years). A color image analysis system was used to examine and compare collagen and smooth muscle components of the muscularis layers to normal control ureters of similar age. In comparing primary obstructed (12) to primary refluxing (14) megaureters and control ureters (6), there was a statistically different collagen-to-smooth muscle ratio (p < 0.001) between the primary obstructed and primary refluxing megaureter groups. For patients with primary refluxing megaureter there was a 2-fold increase in the tissue matrix ratio of collagen-to-smooth muscle when compared to patients with primary obstructed megaureter. In the primary obstructed megaureters the amount of collagen and smooth muscle was not statistically different from controls (p > 0.01). The increased tissue matrix ratio of 2.0 +/- 0.35 (collagen-to-smooth muscle) in the refluxing megaureter group compared to 0.78 +/- 0.22 in the obstructed megaureter group and 0.52 +/- 0.12 in controls was found to be due not only to a marked increase in collagen but also a significant decrease in the smooth muscle component of the tissue. Primary obstructed and normal control ureters had similar quantitative amounts of smooth muscle with 60 +/- 5% and 61 +/- 6%, respectively, while refluxing megaureters had only 40 +/- 5% smooth muscle. The percentage collagen was 36 +/- 5 in the obstructed megaureter group and 30 +/- 5 in controls, with refluxing megaureters having 58 +/- 5% collagen on analysis. Our findings emphasize the significant differences in the structural components (collagen and smooth muscle) of the dilated ureter of childhood, and provide us with further insight into the pathological nature of these dilated ureters and their surgical repair. PMID:1433552

Protein-ligand interactions have been commonly studied through static structures of the protein-ligand complex. Recently, however, there has been increasing interest in investigating the dynamics of protein-ligand interactions both for fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms and for drug development. NMR is a versatile and powerful tool, especially because it provides site-specific quantitative information. NMR has widely been used to determine the dissociation constant (KD), in particular, for relatively weak interactions. The simplest NMR method is a chemical-shift titration experiment, in which the chemical-shift changes of a protein in response to ligand titration are measured. There are other quantitative NMR methods, but they mostly apply only to interactions in the fast-exchange regime. These methods derive the dissociation constant from population-averaged NMR quantities of the free and bound states of a protein or ligand. In contrast, the recent advent of new relaxation-based experiments, including R2 relaxation dispersion and ZZ-exchange, has enabled us to obtain kinetic information on protein-ligand interactions in the intermediate- and slow-exchange regimes. Based on R2 dispersion or ZZ-exchange, methods that can determine the association rate, kon, dissociation rate, koff, and KD have been developed. In these approaches, R2 dispersion or ZZ-exchange curves are measured for multiple samples with different protein and/or ligand concentration ratios, and the relaxation data are fitted to theoretical kinetic models. It is critical to choose an appropriate kinetic model, such as the two- or three-state exchange model, to derive the correct kinetic information. The R2 dispersion and ZZ-exchange methods are suitable for the analysis of protein-ligand interactions with a micromolar or sub-micromolar dissociation constant but not for very weak interactions, which are typical in very fast exchange. This contrasts with the NMR methods that are used

Objectives To evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) in colorectal adenoma and adenocarcinoma and to correlate this immunohistochemical expression with different clinicopathological parameters. Methods The study was retrospectively designed. A total of 86 tissue samples, including 33 paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenomas, 33 paraffin blocks from patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas and a control group of 20 samples of non-tumorous colonic tissue, were included in the study. Results The frequency of expression of ER and PR showed a gradual increase from control through adenoma to carcinoma. The frequencies of expression of ER in the control, adenoma and carcinoma were (10%, 15.15% and 42.42% respectively, p<0.001), while the frequency of expression for PR were (10%, 24.24% and 36.36% respectively, p<0.001). Strong ER and PR staining was mainly seen in carcinoma cases (42.42%, 36.36%, respectively) in comparison with adenoma (9.09%, 15.15%, respectively) and control (0%, 0%, respectively). The three digital parameters of ER and PR immunohistochemical expression (Area [A], Number of objects [N], and intensity [I]) were significantly increased in a sequence of normal mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma. There was a significant positive correlation between ER and PR in adenoma (r=0.312, p=0.034) and carcinoma (r=0.321, p=0.0398). Conclusion ER and PR expression increased in a sequence of; normal colonic mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma, and a positive correlation was observed between ER and PR expression in colonic adenoma and carcinoma specimen indicating that ER and PR may play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis. PMID:22125723

There has been significant progress in development of therapeutics for prevention and management of several disease areas in recent years, leading to increased average life expectancy, as well as of quality of life, globally. However, due to complexity of addressing a number of medical needs and financial burden of development of new class of therapeutics, there is a need for better tools for decision making and validation of efficacy and safety of new compounds. Numerous biological markers (biomarkers) have been proposed either as adjunct to current clinical endpoints or as surrogates. Imaging biomarkers are among rapidly increasing biomarkers, being examined to expedite effective and rational drug development. Clinical imaging often involves a complex set of multi-modality data sets that require rapid and objective analysis, independent of reviewer's bias and training. In this chapter, an overview of imaging biomarkers for drug development is offered, along with challenges that necessitate quantitative and objective image analysis. Examples of automated and semi-automated analysis approaches are provided, along with technical review of such methods. These examples include the use of 3D MRI for osteoarthritis, ultrasound vascular imaging, and dynamic contrast enhanced MRI for oncology. Additionally, a brief overview of regulatory requirements is discussed. In conclusion, this chapter highlights key challenges and future directions in this area.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique for imaging cardiovascular diseases. The introduction of cardiovascular MRI into clinical practice is however hampered by the lack of efficient and accurate image analysis methods. This paper focuses on the evaluation of blood perfusion in the myocardium (the heart muscle) from MR images, using contrast-enhanced ECG-triggered MRI. We have developed an automatic quantitativeanalysis method, which works as follows. First, image registration is used to compensate for translation and rotation of the myocardium over time. Next, the boundaries of the myocardium are detected and for each position within the myocardium a time-intensity profile is constructed. The time interval during which the contrast agent passes for the first time through the left ventricle and the myocardium is detected and various parameters are measured from the time-intensity profiles in this interval. The measured parameters are visualized as color overlays on the original images. Analysis results are stored, so that they can later on be compared for different stress levels of the heart. The method is described in detail in this paper and preliminary validation results are presented.

An objective and standardized approach to assess image quality of Compute Tomography (CT) systems is required in a wide variety of imaging processes to identify CT systems appropriate for a given application. We present an overview of the framework we have developed to help standardize and to objectively assess CT image quality for different models of CT scanners used for security applications. Within this framework, we have developed methods to quantitatively measure metrics that should correlate with feature identification, detection accuracy and precision, and image registration capabilities of CT machines and to identify strengths and weaknesses in different CT imaging technologies in transportation security. To that end we have designed, developed and constructed phantoms that allow for systematic and repeatable measurements of roughly 88 image quality metrics, representing modulation transfer function, noise equivalent quanta, noise power spectra, slice sensitivity profiles, streak artifacts, CT number uniformity, CT number consistency, object length accuracy, CT number path length consistency, and object registration. Furthermore, we have developed a sophisticated MATLAB based image analysis tool kit to analyze CT generated images of phantoms and report these metrics in a format that is standardized across the considered models of CT scanners, allowing for comparative image quality analysis within a CT model or between different CT models. In addition, we have developed a modified sparse principal component analysis (SPCA) method to generate a modified set of PCA components as compared to the standard principal component analysis (PCA) with sparse loadings in conjunction with Hotelling T2 statistical analysis method to compare, qualify, and detect faults in the tested systems.

The expression patterns of CD44s and CD44v6 were immunohistochemically compared with those of normal, hyperplastic and malignant endometrium. In normal endometria (n=37), endometrioses (n=46) and adenomyoses (n=20), the surface and glandular epithelial cells were negative for CD44s and CD44v6 in a proliferative pattern and positive in a secretory pattern, whereas the stroma was only positive for CD44s in both proliferative and secretory patterns. The endometrial hyperplasia (4 simple and 9 complex) had the identical patterns with normal proliferative phase of endometrium. Only one case showing complex hyperplasia with atypia was focally positive for CD44s and CD44v6 in glandular epithelia. CD44s and CD44v6 were positive in all endometrial adenocarcinomas (13), except one CD44s-negative case. In summary, the expressions of CD44s and CD44v6 in endometriosis and adenomyosis recapitulated those of normal cyclic endometrium. The expression patterns in endometrial hyperplasia were similar to those in normal proliferative endometrium, whereas the endometrial adenocarcinoma showed abnormal expressions for CD44s and CD44v6. Thus it was considered that the ectopic endometrium in endometriosis and adenomyosis was not aberrant as in endometrial carcinoma on the aspects of immunohistochemical expressions of CD44s and CD44v6. PMID:11410693

The anchoring filament protein laminin 5 is composed of three polypeptide chains (alpha 3, beta 3 and gamma 2) each encoded by separate genes (LAMA3, LAMB3 and LAMC2, respectively). Mutations in any of these three genes may give rise to the autosomal recessive blistering skin disease, junctional epidermolysis bullosa. At present, there is no easy way of predicting which of these three genes might harbour the pathogenetic laminin 5 mutations in a case of junctional epidermolysis bullosa. In this study, we assessed whether immunohistochemistry might be helpful in this regard. We performed immunohistochemical labelling of the dermal-epidermal junction using alpha 3, beta 3 and gamma 2 chain-specific antibodies in 11 patients with junctional epidermolysis bullosa, in whom the laminin 5 mutations had been previously delineated. Although, labelling for the laminin 5 chain bearing the mutations was attenuated or undetectable in all cases, a complete absence of labelling or a reduction in the staining intensity for the other two chains was also seen in all cases. The results showed that immunohistochemical labelling of the dermal-epidermal junction using alpha 3, beta 3 and gamma 2 chain-specific antibodies is not a specific indicator for which of the laminin 5 chain genes contains the pathogenetic mutations, and is therefore unreliable in screening for individual laminin 5 gene mutations in cases of junctional epidermolysis bullosa. PMID:9217810

Aberrant DNA methylation has been observed in cervical cancer; however, most studies have used non-quantitative approaches to measure DNA methylation. The objective of this study was to quantify methylation within a select panel of genes previously identified as targets for epigenetic silencing in cervical cancer and to identify genes with elevated methylation that can distinguish cancer from normal cervical tissues. We identified 49 women with invasive squamous cell cancer of the cervix and 22 women with normal cytology specimens. Bisulfite-modified genomic DNA was amplified and quantitative pyrosequencing completed for 10 genes (APC, CCNA, CDH1, CDH13, WIF1, TIMP3, DAPK1, RARB, FHIT, and SLIT2). A Methylation Index was calculated as the mean percent methylation across all CpG sites analyzed per gene (~4-9 CpG site) per sequence. A binary cut-point was defined at >15% methylation. Sensitivity, specificity and area under ROC curve (AUC) of methylation in individual genes or a panel was examined. The median methylation index was significantly higher in cases compared to controls in 8 genes, whereas there was no difference in median methylation for 2 genes. Compared to HPV and age, the combination of DNA methylation level of DAPK1, SLIT2, WIF1 and RARB with HPV and age significantly improved the AUC from 0.79 to 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97-1.00, p-value = 0.003). Pyrosequencing analysis confirmed that several genes are common targets for aberrant methylation in cervical cancer and DNA methylation level of four genes appears to increase specificity to identify cancer compared to HPV detection alone. Alterations in DNA methylation of specific genes in cervical cancers, such as DAPK1, RARB, WIF1, and SLIT2, may also occur early in cervical carcinogenesis and should be evaluated. PMID:25826459

Aberrant DNA methylation has been observed in cervical cancer; however, most studies have used non-quantitative approaches to measure DNA methylation. The objective of this study was to quantify methylation within a select panel of genes previously identified as targets for epigenetic silencing in cervical cancer and to identify genes with elevated methylation that can distinguish cancer from normal cervical tissues. We identified 49 women with invasive squamous cell cancer of the cervix and 22 women with normal cytology specimens. Bisulfite-modified genomic DNA was amplified and quantitative pyrosequencing completed for 10 genes (APC, CCNA, CDH1, CDH13, WIF1, TIMP3, DAPK1, RARB, FHIT, and SLIT2). A Methylation Index was calculated as the mean percent methylation across all CpG sites analyzed per gene (~4-9 CpG site) per sequence. A binary cut-point was defined at >15% methylation. Sensitivity, specificity and area under ROC curve (AUC) of methylation in individual genes or a panel was examined. The median methylation index was significantly higher in cases compared to controls in 8 genes, whereas there was no difference in median methylation for 2 genes. Compared to HPV and age, the combination of DNA methylation level of DAPK1, SLIT2, WIF1 and RARB with HPV and age significantly improved the AUC from 0.79 to 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97–1.00, p-value = 0.003). Pyrosequencing analysis confirmed that several genes are common targets for aberrant methylation in cervical cancer and DNA methylation level of four genes appears to increase specificity to identify cancer compared to HPV detection alone. Alterations in DNA methylation of specific genes in cervical cancers, such as DAPK1, RARB, WIF1, and SLIT2, may also occur early in cervical carcinogenesis and should be evaluated. PMID:25826459

This thesis aims to advance the methods of quantitative acoustic emission (AE) analysis by calibrating sensors, characterizing sources, and applying the results to solve engi- neering problems. In the first part of this thesis, we built a calibration apparatus and successfully calibrated two commercial AE sensors. The ErgoTech sensor was found to have broadband velocity sensitivity and the Panametrics V103 was sensitive to surface normal displacement. These calibration results were applied to two AE data sets from rock fracture experiments in order to characterize the sources of AE events. The first data set was from an in situ rock fracture experiment conducted at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL). The Mine-By experiment was a large scale excavation response test where both AE (10 kHz - 1 MHz) and microseismicity (MS) (1 Hz - 10 kHz) were monitored. Using the calibration information, magnitude, stress drop, dimension and energy were successfully estimated for 21 AE events recorded in the tensile region of the tunnel wall. Magnitudes were in the range -7.5 < Mw < -6.8, which is consistent with other laboratory AE results, and stress drops were within the range commonly observed for induced seismicity in the field (0.1 - 10 MPa). The second data set was AE collected during a true-triaxial deformation experiment, where the objectives were to characterize laboratory AE sources and identify issues related to moving the analysis from ideal in situ conditions to more complex laboratory conditions in terms of the ability to conduct quantitative AE analysis. We found AE magnitudes in the range -7.8 < Mw < -6.7 and as with the in situ data, stress release was within the expected range of 0.1 - 10 MPa. We identified four major challenges to quantitativeanalysis in the laboratory, which in- hibited our ability to study parameter scaling (M0 ∝ fc -3 scaling). These challenges were 0c (1) limited knowledge of attenuation which we proved was continuously evolving, (2

The four members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ERBB) family form homo- and heterodimers which mediate ligand-specific regulation of many key cellular processes in normal and cancer tissues. While signaling through the EGFR has been extensively studied on the molecular level, signal transduction through ERBB3/ERBB4 heterodimers is less well understood. Here, we generated isogenic mouse Ba/F3 cells that express full-length and functional membrane-integrated ERBB3 and ERBB4 or ERBB4 alone, to serve as a defined cellular model for biological and phosphoproteomics analysis of ERBB3/ERBB4 signaling. ERBB3 co-expression significantly enhanced Ba/F3 cell proliferation upon neuregulin-1 (NRG1) treatment. For comprehensive signaling studies we performed quantitative mass spectrometry (MS) experiments to compare the basal ERBB3/ERBB4 cell phosphoproteome to NRG1 treatment of ERBB3/ERBB4 and ERBB4 cells. We employed a workflow comprising differential isotope labeling with mTRAQ reagents followed by chromatographic peptide separation and final phosphopeptide enrichment prior to MS analysis. Overall, we identified 9686 phosphorylation sites which could be confidently localized to specific residues. Statistical analysis of three replicate experiments revealed 492 phosphorylation sites which were significantly changed in NRG1-treated ERBB3/ERBB4 cells. Bioinformatics data analysis recapitulated regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and Akt pathways, but also indicated signaling links to cytoskeletal functions and nuclear biology. Comparative assessment of NRG1-stimulated ERBB4 Ba/F3 cells revealed that ERBB3 did not trigger defined signaling pathways but more broadly enhanced phosphoproteome regulation in cells expressing both receptors. In conclusion, our data provide the first global picture of ERBB3/ERBB4 signaling and provide numerous potential starting points for further mechanistic studies. PMID:26745281

Single cell explorations offer a unique window to inspect molecules and events relevant to mechanisms and heterogeneity constituting the central dogma of biology. A large number of nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites and small molecules are involved in determining and fine-tuning the state and function of a single cell at a given time point. Advanced optical platforms and nanotools provide tremendous opportunities to probe intracellular components with single-molecule accuracy, as well as promising tools to adjust single cell activity. In order to obtain quantitative information (e.g. molecular quantity, kinetics and stoichiometry) within an intact cell, achieving the observation with comparable spatiotemporal resolution is a challenge. For single cell studies both the method of detection and the biocompatibility are critical factors as they determine the feasibility, especially when considering live cell analysis. Although a considerable proportion of single cell methodologies depend on specialized expertise and expensive instruments, it is our expectation that the information content and implication will outweigh the costs given the impact on life science enabled by single cell analysis. PMID:25430077

Aberrant degradation of proteins is associated with many pathological states, including cancers. Mass spectrometric analysis of tumor peptidomes, the intracellular and intercellular products of protein degradation, has the potential to provide biological insights on proteolytic processing in cancer. However, attempts to use the information on these smaller protein degradation products from tumors for biomarker discovery and cancer biology studies have been fairly limited to date, largely due to the lack of effective approaches for robust peptidomics identification and quantification, and the prevalence of confounding factors and biases associated with sample handling and processing. Herein, we have developed an effective and robust analytical platform for comprehensive analyses of tissue peptidomes, which is suitable for high throughput quantitative studies. The reproducibility and coverage of the platform, as well as the suitability of clinical ovarian tumor and patient-derived breast tumor xenograft samples with post-excision delay of up to 60 min before freezing for peptidomics analysis, have been demonstrated. Moreover, our data also show that the peptidomics profiles can effectively separate breast cancer subtypes, reflecting tumor-associated protease activities. Peptidomics complements results obtainable from conventional bottom-up proteomics, and provides insights not readily obtainable from such approaches.

Aberrant degradation of proteins is associated with many pathological states, including cancers. Mass spectrometric analysis of tumor peptidomes, the intracellular and intercellular products of protein degradation, has the potential to provide biological insights on proteolytic processing in cancer. However, attempts to use the information on these smaller protein degradation products from tumors for biomarker discovery and cancer biology studies have been fairly limited to date, largely due to the lack of effective approaches for robust peptidomics identification and quantification, and the prevalence of confounding factors and biases associated with sample handling and processing. Herein, we have developed an effective and robust analytical platform for comprehensive analyses of tissue peptidomes, and which is suitable for high throughput quantitative studies. The reproducibility and coverage of the platform, as well as the suitability of clinical ovarian tumor and patient-derived breast tumor xenograft samples with post-excision delay of up to 60 min before freezing for peptidomics analysis, have been demonstrated. Moreover, our data also show that the peptidomics profiles can effectively separate breast cancer subtypes, reflecting tumor-associated protease activities. Peptidomics complements results obtainable from conventional bottom-up proteomics, and provides insights not readily obtainable from such approaches.

Single-cell explorations offer a unique window to inspect molecules and events relevant to mechanisms and heterogeneity constituting the central dogma of biology. A large number of nucleic acids, proteins, metabolites, and small molecules are involved in determining and fine-tuning the state and function of a single cell at a given time point. Advanced optical platforms and nanotools provide tremendous opportunities to probe intracellular components with single-molecule accuracy, as well as promising tools to adjust single-cell activity. To obtain quantitative information (e.g., molecular quantity, kinetics, and stoichiometry) within an intact cell, achieving the observation with comparable spatiotemporal resolution is a challenge. For single-cell studies, both the method of detection and the biocompatibility are critical factors as they determine the feasibility, especially when considering live-cell analysis. Although a considerable proportion of single-cell methodologies depend on specialized expertise and expensive instruments, it is our expectation that the information content and implication will outweigh the costs given the impact on life science enabled by single-cell analysis. PMID:25430077

Childhood obesity is associated with a constellation of metabolic derangements including glucose intolerance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, referred to as metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this study was to investigate genetic and environmental factors contributing to the metabolic syndrome in Hispanic children. Metabolic syndrome, defined as having three or more metabolic risk components, was determined in 1030 Hispanic children, ages 4-19 y, from 319 families enrolled in the VIVA LA FAMILIA study. Anthropometry, body composition by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, clinical signs, and serum biochemistries were measured using standard techniques. Risk factor analysis and quantitative genetic analysis were performed. Of the overweight children, 20%, or 28% if abnormal liver function is included in the definition, presented with the metabolic syndrome. Odds ratios for the metabolic syndrome were significantly increased by body mass index z-score and fasting serum insulin; independent effects of sex, age, puberty, and body composition were not seen. Heritabilities +/- SE for waist circumference, triglycerides (TG), HDL, systolic blood pressure (SBP), glucose, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were highly significant. Pleiotropy (a common set of genes affecting two traits) detected between SBP and waist circumference, SBP and glucose, HDL and waist circumference, ALT and waist circumference, and TG and ALT may underlie the clustering of the components of the metabolic syndrome. Significant heritabilities and pleiotropy seen for the components of the metabolic syndrome indicate a strong genetic contribution to the metabolic syndrome in overweight Hispanic children. PMID:16306201

For several years the authors have been using a stereoscopic display as a tool in the planning of stereotactic neurosurgical techniques. This PC-based workstation allows the surgeon to interact with and view vascular images in three dimensions, as well as to perform quantitativeanalysis of the three-dimensional (3-D) space. Some of the perceptual issues relevant to the presentation of medical images on this stereoscopic display were addressed in five experiments. The authors show that a number of parameters--namely the shape, color, and depth cue, associated with a cursor--as well as the image filtering and observer position, have a role in improving the observer`s perception of a 3-D image and his ability to localize points within the stereoscopically presented 3-D image. However, an analysis of the results indicates that while varying these parameters can lead to an effect on the performance of individual observers, the effects are not consistent across observers, and the mean accuracy remains relatively constant under the different experimental conditions.

This paper reports quantitative analyses of spectral fault components in five noninvasive diagnostic procedures that use input electric signals to detect different types of abnormalities in induction motors. Besides the traditional one phase current spectrum analysis "SC", the diagnostic procedures based on spectrum analysis of the instantaneous partial powers " P ab", " P cb", total power " P abc", and the current space vector modulus " csvm" are considered. The aim of this comparison study is to improve the diagnosis tools for detection of electromechanical faults in electrical machines by using the best suitable diagnostic procedure knowing some motor and fault characteristics. Defining a severity factor as the increase in amplitude of the fault characteristic frequency, with respect to the healthy condition, enables us to study the sensitivity of the electrical diagnostic tools. As a result, it is shown that the relationship between the angular displacement of the current side-bands components at frequencies ( f± fosc) is directly related to the type of induction motor faults. It is also proved that the total instantaneous power diagnostic procedure was observed to exhibit the highest values of the detection criterion in case of mechanical faults while in case of electrical ones the most reliable diagnostic procedure is tightly related to the value of the motor power factor angle and the group motor-load inertia. Finally, simulation and experimental results show good agreement with the fault modeling theoretical results.

In order to derive accurate values for true tissue radiotracers concentrations from gated positron emission tomography (PET) images of the heart, which are critical for quantifying noninvasively regional myocardial blood flow and metabolism, appropriate corrections for partial volume effect (PVE) and contamination from adjacent anatomical structures are required. We therefore developed an integrated software package for quantitativeanalysis of tomographic images which provides for such corrections. A semiautomatic edge detection technique outlines and partitions the myocardium into sectors. Myocardial wall thickness is measured on the images perpendicularly to the detected edges and used to correct for PVE. The programs automatically correct for radioactive decay, activity calibration and cross contaminations for both static and dynamic studies. Parameters derived with these programs include tracer concentrations and their changes over time. They are used for calculating regional metabolic rates and can be further displayed as color coded parametric images. The approach was validated for PET imaging in 11 dog experiments. 2D echocardiograms (Echo) were recorded simultaneously to validate the edge detection and wall thickness measurement techniques. After correction for PVE using automatic WT measurement, regional tissue tracer concentrations derived from PET images correlated well with true tissue concentrations as determined by well counting (r=0.98). These preliminary studies indicate that the developed automatic image analysis technique allows accurate and convenient evaluation of cardiac PET images for the measurement of both, regional tracer tissue concentrations as well as regional myocardial function.

This paper describes a scenario-driven hazard analysis process to identify, eliminate, and control safety-related risks. Within this process, we develop selective criteria to determine the applicability of applying engineering modeling to hypothesized hazard scenarios. This provides a basis for evaluating and prioritizing the scenarios as candidates for further quantitativeanalysis. We have applied this methodology to proposed concepts of operations for reduced wake separation for closely spaced parallel runways. For arrivals, the process identified 43 core hazard scenarios. Of these, we classified 12 as appropriate for further quantitative modeling, 24 that should be mitigated through controls, recommendations, and / or procedures (that is, scenarios not appropriate for quantitative modeling), and 7 that have the lowest priority for further analysis.

DNA sequencing technologies are applied widely and frequently today to describe metagenomes, i.e., microbial communities in environmental or clinical samples, without the need for culturing them. These technologies usually return short (100-300 base-pairs long) DNA reads, and these reads are processed by metagenomic analysis software that assign phylogenetic composition-information to the dataset. Here we evaluate three metagenomic analysis software (AmphoraNet-a webserver implementation of AMPHORA2-, MG-RAST, and MEGAN5) for their capabilities of assigning quantitative phylogenetic information for the data, describing the frequency of appearance of the microorganisms of the same taxa in the sample. The difficulties of the task arise from the fact that longer genomes produce more reads from the same organism than shorter genomes, and some software assign higher frequencies to species with longer genomes than to those with shorter ones. This phenomenon is called the "genome length bias." Dozens of complex artificial metagenome benchmarks can be found in the literature. Because of the complexity of those benchmarks, it is usually difficult to judge the resistance of a metagenomic software to this "genome length bias." Therefore, we have made a simple benchmark for the evaluation of the "taxon-counting" in a metagenomic sample: we have taken the same number of copies of three full bacterial genomes of different lengths, break them up randomly to short reads of average length of 150 bp, and mixed the reads, creating our simple benchmark. Because of its simplicity, the benchmark is not supposed to serve as a mock metagenome, but if a software fails on that simple task, it will surely fail on most real metagenomes. We applied three software for the benchmark. The ideal quantitative solution would assign the same proportion to the three bacterial taxa. We have found that AMPHORA2/AmphoraNet gave the most accurate results and the other two software were under

Rapid quantitative microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE) for online monitoring of drinking water enabling inorganic ion separation in less than 15 s is presented. Comparing cationic and anionic standards at different concentrations the analysis of cationic species resulted in non-linear calibration curves. We interpret this effect as a variation in the volume of the injected sample plug caused by changes of the electroosmotic flow (EOF) due to the strong interaction of bivalent cations with the glass surface. This explanation is supported by the observation of severe peak tailing. Conducting microchip CE analysis in a glass microchannel, optimized conditions are received for the cationic species K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ using a background electrolyte consisting of 30 mmol/L histidine and 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid, containing 0.5 mmol/L potassium chloride to reduce surface interaction and 4 mmol/L tartaric acid as a complexing agent resulting in a pH-value of 5.8. Applying reversed EOF co-migration for the anionic species Cl-, SO42- and HCO3- optimized separation occurs in a background electrolyte consisting of 10 mmol/L 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) and 10 mmol/L HEPES sodium salt, containing 0.05 mmol/L CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) resulting in a pH-value of 7.5. The detection limits are 20 micromol/L for the monovalent cationic and anionic species and 10 micromol/L for the divalent species. These values make the method very suitable for many applications including the analysis of abundant ions in tap water as demonstrated in this paper. PMID:16310794

Background The emergence of social media is providing an alternative avenue for information exchange and opinion formation on health-related issues. Collective discourse in such media leads to the formation of a complex narrative, conveying public views and perceptions. Objective This paper presents a study of Twitter narrative regarding vaccination in the aftermath of the 2015 measles outbreak, both in terms of its cyber and physical characteristics. We aimed to contribute to the analysis of the data, as well as presenting a quantitative interdisciplinary approach to analyze such open-source data in the context of health narratives. Methods We collected 669,136 tweets referring to vaccination from February 1 to March 9, 2015. These tweets were analyzed to identify key terms, connections among such terms, retweet patterns, the structure of the narrative, and connections to the geographical space. Results The data analysis captures the anatomy of the themes and relations that make up the discussion about vaccination in Twitter. The results highlight the higher impact of stories contributed by news organizations compared to direct tweets by health organizations in communicating health-related information. They also capture the structure of the antivaccination narrative and its terms of reference. Analysis also revealed the relationship between community engagement in Twitter and state policies regarding child vaccination. Residents of Vermont and Oregon, the two states with the highest rates of non-medical exemption from school-entry vaccines nationwide, are leading the social media discussion in terms of participation. Conclusions The interdisciplinary study of health-related debates in social media across the cyber-physical debate nexus leads to a greater understanding of public concerns, views, and responses to health-related issues. Further coalescing such capabilities shows promise towards advancing health communication, thus supporting the design of more

The aim of the article is to present a trend in patent filings for application of nanotechnology to the automobile sector across the world, using the keyword-based patent search. Overviews of the patents related to nano technology in the automobile industry have been provided. The current work has started from the worldwide patent search to find the patents on nanotechnology in the automobile industry and classify the patents according to the various parts of an automobile to which they are related and the solutions which they are providing. In the next step various graphs have been produced to get an insight into various trends. In next step, analysis of patents in various classifications, have been performed. The trends shown in graphs provide the quantitativeanalysis whereas; the qualitative analysis has been done in another section. The classifications of patents based on the solution they provide have been performed by reading the claims, titles, abstract and full texts separately. Patentability of nano technology inventions have been discussed in a view to give an idea of requirements and statutory bars to the patentability of nanotechnology inventions. Another objective of the current work is to suggest appropriate framework for the companies regarding use of nano technology in the automobile industry and a suggestive strategy for patenting of the inventions related to the same. For example, US Patent, with patent number US2008-019426A1 discusses the invention related to Lubricant composition. This patent has been studied and classified to fall under classification of automobile parts. After studying this patent, it is deduced that, the problem of friction in engine is being solved by this patent. One classification is the "automobile part" based while other is the basis of "problem being solved". Hence, two classifications, namely reduction in friction and engine were created. Similarly, after studying all the patents, a similar matrix has been created

Neoangiogenesis is required for the growth of invasive lung carcinoma, however, the role of angiogenesis in the progression of premalignant changes to carcinoma of the lung is less clear. We have evaluated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel densities (MVDs) in 62 bronchoscopic biopsies from normal, reactive (basal cell hyperplasia (BCH)) and dysplastic bronchial epithelium and in tissue from twenty-seven invasive lung carcinomas in an effort to demonstrate angiogenic activity in these preneoplastic lesions and determine whether it is associated with increased bronchial epithelial VEGF expression. MVDs and VEGF RNA expression measured by quantitative RT-PCR were found to be elevated in comparison to normal bronchial tissue in bronchial dysplasias and invasive lung carcinomas but not in basal cell hyperplasias. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses revealed that expression of VEGF arose predominantly from bronchial epithelium. ELISA analysis of lung tumor tissue showed that elevated VEGF protein expression correlated with VEGF RNA levels (r=0.59, p=0.004). Increased expression of VEGF RNA was also found in histologically normal bronchial mucosa from patients with either dysplasia at other sites or a history of heavy tobacco use suggesting a possible field effect in regard to the elaboration of VEGF. Furthermore, analysis of VEGF isoforms and VEGF receptors by semi-quantitative RT-PCR in dysplastic and invasive lesions revealed characteristic altered patterns of expression in dysplasia and early cancer as compared to normal tissue. These results indicate that angiogenesis develops early in lung carcinogenesis and is associated with overexpression of VEGF. PMID:15777969

Quantitative literacy is increasingly essential for both informed citizenship and a variety of careers. Though regression is one of the most common methods in quantitative sociology, it is rarely taught until late in students' college careers. In this article, the author describes a classroom-based activity introducing students to regression…

Studies comparing rabbit monoclonal SP1 antibody to 1D5 for ER immunohistochemical (IHC) testing show conflicting results. Here we use a standardized quantitative immunofluorescent (QIF) ER assay to determine the level and significance of discordance between antibodies. Both antibodies are assessed by QIF on our Index TMA of cell lines and case controls, followed by QIF and IHC on two retrospective cohorts from Yale. On the Index TMA, SP1 displayed stronger signal-to-noise than 1D5. On the patient cohorts, the range of discrepancy between the two antibodies is 8% to 16.9%, with the majority of discrepant cases being SP1-positive/1D5-negative. Kaplan Meier analysis of the discrepant cases shows outcome comparable to double positive cases, suggesting that SP1 is more sensitive than 1D5. A series of cases with high levels of ER-beta shows that neither antibody cross-reacts, suggesting equivalent specificity. Future efforts are needed to determine if response to endocrine therapies show superiority of either antibody as a companion diagnostic test. PMID:22820659

Separation of alkyl sulfate ethoxymers is investigated on various high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases: Acclaim C18 Surfactant, Surfactant C8, and Hypercarb. For a fixed alkyl chain length, ethoxymers are eluted in the order of increasing number of ethoxylated units on Acclaim C18 Surfactant, whereas a reversed elution order is observed on Surfactant C8 and Hypercarb. Moreover, on an Acclaim C18 Surfactant column, non-ethoxylated compounds are eluted in their ethoxymers distribution and the use of sodium acetate additive in mobile phase leads to a co-elution of ethoxymers. HPLC stationary phases dedicated to surfactants analysis are evaluated by means of the Tanaka test. Surfactant C8 presents a great silanol activity whereas Acclaim C18 Surfactant shows a high steric selectivity. For alkyl sulfates, linearity of the calibration curve and limits of detection and quantitation are evaluated. The amount of sodium laureth sulfate raw material found in commercial body product is in agreement with the specification of the manufacturer. PMID:19007494

For primates, as for many other vertebrates, copulation which results in ejaculation is a prerequisite for reproduction. The probability of ejaculation is affected by various physiological and social factors, for example reproductive state of male and female and operational sex-ratio. In this paper, we present quantitative and qualitative data on patterns of sexual behaviour in a captive group of hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas), a species with a polygynous-monandric mating system. We observed more than 700 copulations and analysed factors that can affect the probability of ejaculation. Multilevel logistic regression analysis and Akaike's information criterion (AIC) model selection procedures revealed that the probability of successful copulation increased as the size of female sexual swellings increased, indicating increased probability of ovulation, and as the number of females per one-male unit (OMU) decreased. In contrast, occurrence of female copulation calls, sex of the copulation initiator, and previous male aggression toward females did not affect the probability of ejaculation. Synchrony of oestrus cycles also had no effect (most likely because the sample size was too small). We also observed 29 extra-group copulations by two non-adult males. Our results indicate that male hamadryas baboons copulated more successfully around the time of ovulation and that males in large OMUs with many females may be confronted by time or energy-allocation problems. PMID:21710159

In dividing Drosophila sensory organ precursor (SOP) cells, the fate determinant Numb and its associated adaptor protein Pon localize asymmetrically and segregate into the anterior daughter cell, where Numb influences cell fate by repressing Notch signaling. Asymmetric localization of both proteins requires the protein kinase aPKC and its substrate Lethal (2) giant larvae (Lgl). Because both Numb and Pon localization require actin and myosin, lateral transport along the cell cortex has been proposed as a possible mechanism for their asymmetric distribution. Here, we use quantitative live analysis of GFP-Pon and Numb-GFP fluorescence and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to characterize the dynamics of Numb and Pon localization during SOP division. We demonstrate that Numb and Pon rapidly exchange between a cytoplasmic pool and the cell cortex and that preferential recruitment from the cytoplasm is responsible for their asymmetric distribution during mitosis. Expression of a constitutively active form of aPKC impairs membrane recruitment of GFP-Pon. This defect can be rescued by coexpression of nonphosphorylatable Lgl, indicating that Lgl is the main target of aPKC. We propose that a high-affinity binding site is asymmetrically distributed by aPKC and Lgl and is responsible for asymmetric localization of cell-fate determinants during mitosis. PMID:16243032

Abstract. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging modality for various medical applications. Its spectroscopic data might be able to be used to noninvasively detect cancer. Quantitativeanalysis is often necessary in order to differentiate healthy from diseased tissue. We propose the use of an advanced image processing and classification method in order to analyze hyperspectral image data for prostate cancer detection. The spectral signatures were extracted and evaluated in both cancerous and normal tissue. Least squares support vector machines were developed and evaluated for classifying hyperspectral data in order to enhance the detection of cancer tissue. This method was used to detect prostate cancer in tumor-bearing mice and on pathology slides. Spatially resolved images were created to highlight the differences of the reflectance properties of cancer versus those of normal tissue. Preliminary results with 11 mice showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the hyperspectral image classification method are 92.8% to 2.0% and 96.9% to 1.3%, respectively. Therefore, this imaging method may be able to help physicians to dissect malignant regions with a safe margin and to evaluate the tumor bed after resection. This pilot study may lead to advances in the optical diagnosis of prostate cancer using HSI technology. PMID:22894488

One of the most important goals of the postgenomic era is understanding the metabolic dynamic processes and the functional structures generated by them. Extensive studies during the last three decades have shown that the dissipative self-organization of the functional enzymatic associations, the catalytic reactions produced during the metabolite channeling, the microcompartmentalization of these metabolic processes and the emergence of dissipative networks are the fundamental elements of the dynamical organization of cell metabolism. Here we present an overview of how mathematical models can be used to address the properties of dissipative metabolic structures at different organizational levels, both for individual enzymatic associations and for enzymatic networks. Recent analyses performed with dissipative metabolic networks have shown that unicellular organisms display a singular global enzymatic structure common to all living cellular organisms, which seems to be an intrinsic property of the functional metabolism as a whole. Mathematical models firmly based on experiments and their corresponding computational approaches are needed to fully grasp the molecular mechanisms of metabolic dynamical processes. They are necessary to enable the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cellular catalytic reactions and also to help comprehend the conditions under which the structural dynamical phenomena and biological rhythms arise. Understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the metabolic dissipative structures is crucial for unraveling the dynamics of cellular life. PMID:20957111

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging modality for various medical applications. Its spectroscopic data might be able to be used to noninvasively detect cancer. Quantitativeanalysis is often necessary in order to differentiate healthy from diseased tissue. We propose the use of an advanced image processing and classification method in order to analyze hyperspectral image data for prostate cancer detection. The spectral signatures were extracted and evaluated in both cancerous and normal tissue. Least squares support vector machines were developed and evaluated for classifying hyperspectral data in order to enhance the detection of cancer tissue. This method was used to detect prostate cancer in tumor-bearing mice and on pathology slides. Spatially resolved images were created to highlight the differences of the reflectance properties of cancer versus those of normal tissue. Preliminary results with 11 mice showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the hyperspectral image classification method are 92.8% to 2.0% and 96.9% to 1.3%, respectively. Therefore, this imaging method may be able to help physicians to dissect malignant regions with a safe margin and to evaluate the tumor bed after resection. This pilot study may lead to advances in the optical diagnosis of prostate cancer using HSI technology.

We investigate phase imaging as a measurement method for laser damage detection and analysis of laser-induced modification of optical materials. Experiments have been conducted with a wavefront sensor based on lateral shearing interferometry associated with a high-magnification optical microscope. The system has been used for the in-line observation of optical thin films and bulk samples, laser irradiated in two different conditions: 500 fs pulses at 343 and 1030 nm, and millisecond to second irradiation with a CO2 laser at 10.6 μm. We investigate the measurement of the laser-induced damage threshold of optical material by detection and phase changes and show that the technique realizes high sensitivity with different optical path measurements lower than 1 nm. Additionally, the quantitative information on the refractive index or surface modification of the samples under test that is provided by the system has been compared to classical metrology instruments used for laser damage or laser ablation characterization (an atomic force microscope, a differential interference contrast microscope, and an optical surface profiler). An accurate in-line measurement of the morphology of laser-ablated sites, from few nanometers to hundred microns in depth, is shown. PMID:26479612

In the investigation of chemical pollutants, such as PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) at low concentration in aqueous medium, Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) stands for an alternative to the inherent low cross-section of normal Raman scattering. Indeed, SERS is a very sensitive spectroscopic technique due to the excitation of the surface plasmon modes of the nanostructured metallic film. The surface of quartz substrates was coated with a hydrophobic film obtained by silanization and subsequently reacted with polystyrene (PS) beads coated with gold nanoparticles. The hydrophobic surface of the SERS substrates pre-concentrates non-polar molecules such as naphthalene. Under laser excitation, the SERS-active substrates allow the detection and the identification of the target molecules localized close to the gold nanoparticles. The morphology of the SERS substrates based on polystyrene beads surrounded by gold nanoparticles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the Raman fingerprint of the polystyrene stands for an internal spectral reference. To this extent, an innovative method to detect and to quantify organic molecules, as naphthalene in the range of 1 to 20 ppm, in aqueous media was carried out. Such SERS-active substrates tend towards an application as quantitative SERS sensors for the environmental analysis of naphthalene. PMID:21165476

The cilium has a well-defined structure, which can still accommodate some morphological and molecular composition diversity to suit the functional requirements of different cell types. The sperm flagellum of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster appears as a good model to study the genetic regulation of axoneme assembly and motility, due to the wealth of genetic tools publically available for this organism. In addition, the fruit fly's sperm flagellum displays quite a long axoneme (∼1.8mm), which may facilitate both histological and biochemical analyses. Here, we present a protocol for imaging and quantitatively analyze proteins, which associate with the fly differentiating, and mature sperm flagella. We will use as an example the quantification of tubulin polyglycylation in wild-type testes and in Bug22 mutant testes, which present defects in the deposition of this posttranslational modification. During sperm biogenesis, flagella appear tightly bundled, which makes it more challenging to get accurate measurements of protein levels from immunostained specimens. The method we present is based on the use of a novel semiautomated, macro installed in the image processing software ImageJ. It allows to measure fluorescence levels in closely associated sperm tails, through an exact distinction between positive and background signals, and provides background-corrected pixel intensity values that can directly be used for data analysis. PMID:25837396

Rising energy prices and climate change are central issues in the debate about our nation's energy policy. Many are demanding increased energy efficiency as a way to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower the total cost of electricity and energy services for consumers and businesses. Yet, as the National Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (NAPEE) pointed out, many utilities continue to shy away from seriously expanding their energy efficiency program offerings because they claim there is insufficient profit-motivation, or even a financial disincentive, when compared to supply-side investments. With the recent introduction of Duke Energy's Save-a-Watt incentive mechanism and ongoing discussions about decoupling, regulators and policymakers are now faced with an expanded and diverse landscape of financial incentive mechanisms, Determining the 'right' way forward to promote deep and sustainable demand side resource programs is challenging. Due to the renaissance that energy efficiency is currently experiencing, many want to better understand the tradeoffs in stakeholder benefits between these alternative incentive structures before aggressively embarking on a path for which course corrections can be time-consuming and costly. Using a prototypical Southwest utility and a publicly available financial model, we show how various stakeholders (e.g. shareholders, ratepayers, etc.) are affected by these different types of shareholder incentive mechanisms under varying assumptions about program portfolios. This quantitativeanalysis compares the financial consequences associated with a wide range of alternative incentive structures. The results will help regulators and policymakers better understand the financial implications of DSR program incentive regulation.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) using a synchrotron radiation (SR) microbeam was applied to investigate distributions and concentrations of elements in single neurons of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. In this paper we introduce a computer code that has been developed to quantify the trace elements and matrix elements at the single cell level. This computer code has been used in studies of several important neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC), as well as in basic biological experiments to determine the elemental changes in cells due to incorporation of foreign metal elements. The substantial nigra (SN) tissue obtained from the autopsy specimens of patients with Guamanian parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC) and control cases were examined. Quantitative XRF analysis showed that neuromelanin granules of Parkinsonian SN contained higher levels of Fe than those of the control. The concentrations were in the ranges of 2300-3100 ppm and 2000-2400 ppm respectively. On the contrary, Zn and Ni in neuromelanin granules of SN tissue from the PDC case were lower than those of the control. Especially Zn was less than 40 ppm in SN tissue from the PDC case while it was 560-810 ppm in the control. These changes are considered to be closely related to the neuro-degeneration and cell death.

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging modality for various medical applications. Its spectroscopic data might be able to be used to noninvasively detect cancer. Quantitativeanalysis is often necessary in order to differentiate healthy from diseased tissue. We propose the use of an advanced image processing and classification method in order to analyze hyperspectral image data for prostate cancer detection. The spectral signatures were extracted and evaluated in both cancerous and normal tissue. Least squares support vector machines were developed and evaluated for classifying hyperspectral data in order to enhance the detection of cancer tissue. This method was used to detect prostate cancer in tumor-bearing mice and on pathology slides. Spatially resolved images were created to highlight the differences of the reflectance properties of cancer versus those of normal tissue. Preliminary results with 11 mice showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the hyperspectral image classification method are 92.8% to 2.0% and 96.9% to 1.3%, respectively. Therefore, this imaging method may be able to help physicians to dissect malignant regions with a safe margin and to evaluate the tumor bed after resection. This pilot study may lead to advances in the optical diagnosis of prostate cancer using HSI technology. PMID:22894488

Tracking human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1) infection at the cellular level in tissue reservoirs provides opportunities to better understand the pathogenesis of infection and to rationally design and monitor therapy. A quantitative technique was developed to determine viral burden in two important cellular compartments in lymphoid developed to determine viral burden in two important cellular compartments in lymphoid tissues. Image analysis and in situ hybridization were combined to show that in the presymptomatic stages of infection there is a large, relatively stable pool of virions on the surfaces of follicular dendritic cells and a smaller pool of productivity infected cells. Despite evidence of constraints on HIV-1 replication in the infected cell population in lymphoid tissues, estimates of the numbers of these cells and the virus they could produce are consistent with the quantities of virus that have been detected in the bloodstream. The cellular sources of virus production and storage in lymphoid tissues can now be studied with this approach over the course of infection and treatment. 22 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Susceptibility to thrombosis varies in human populations as well as many in inbred mouse strains. The objective of this study was to characterize the genetic control of thrombotic risk on three chromosomes. Previously, utilizing a tail-bleeding/rebleeding assay as a surrogate of hemostasis and thrombosis function, three mouse chromosome substitution strains (CSS) (B6-Chr5A/J, Chr11A/J, Chr17A/J) were identified (Hmtb1, Hmtb2, Hmtb3). The tailbleeding/rebleeding assay is widely used and distinguishes mice with genetic defects in blood clot formation or dissolution. In the present study, quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis revealed a significant locus for rebleeding (clot stability) time (time between cessation of initial bleeding and start of the second bleeding) on chromosome 5, suggestive loci for bleeding time (time between start of bleeding and cessation of bleeding) also on chromosomes 5, and two suggestive loci for clot stability on chromosome 17 and one on chromosome 11. The three CSS and the parent A/J had elevated clot stability time. There was no interaction of genes on chromosome 11 with genes on chromosome 5 or chromosome 17. On chromosome 17, twenty-three candidate genes were identified in synteny with previously identified loci for thrombotic risk on human chromosome 18. Thus, we have identified new QTLs and candidate genes not previously known to influence thrombotic risk. PMID:18787898

Mouse Double Minute-2 (MDM2) is an ubiquitin ligase which is overexpressed or its promoter polymorphism has been reported in different tumours. The objective of this study was to examine the MDM2 protein expression and its promoter polymorphism in some canine tumours. Twenty specimens were collected from 20 dogs with 15 mammary gland carcinomas, 3 lymphomas, 1 transmissible venereal tumour and 1 trichoblastoma. Samples were analysed immunohistochemically using human antibody against MDM2 protein. PCR and DNA sequencing were carried out to identify MDM2 promoter polymorphism. MDM2 gene was expressed in 13 of 20 samples including 11 mammary carcinomas, 1 lymphoma and 1 trichoblastoma. We found 94% homology between canine and human sequences. Four mutations including G169C, A177G, G291T and A177G were identified in different types of breast carcinomas. An extra p53 response element was found in a mixed mammary carcinoma. PMID:24447820

Babies' parents and people who look for information about vaccination often visit anti-vaccine movement's websites, blogs by naturopathic physicians or natural and alternative medicine practitioners. The aim of this work is to provide a quantitativeanalysis on the type of information available to Italian people regarding vaccination and a quality analysis of websites retrieved through our searches. A quality score was created to evaluate the technical level of websites. A research was performed through Yahoo, Google, and MSN using the keywords "vaccine" and "vaccination," with the function "OR" in order to identify the most frequently used websites. The 2 keywords were input in Italian, and the first 15 pages retrieved by each search engine were analyzed. 149 websites were selected through this methodology. Fifty-three per cent of the websites belonged to associations, groups, or scientific companies, 32.2% (n = 48) consisted of a personal blog and 14.8% (n = 22) belonged to some of the National Health System offices. Among all analyzed websites, 15.4% (n = 23) came from anti-vaccine movement groups. 37.6% reported webmaster name, 67.8% webmaster e-mail, 28.6% indicated the date of the last update and 46.6% the author's name. The quality score for government sites was higher on average than anti-vaccine websites; although, government sites don't use Web 2.0 functions, as the forums.: National Health System institutions who have to promote vaccination cannot avoid investing in web communication because it cannot be managed by private efforts but must be the result of Public Health, private and scientific association, and social movement synergy. PMID:24607988

Metastasis, or the spread of cancer cells from a primary tumor to distant sites, is the leading cause of cancer-associated death. Metastasis is a complex multi-step process comprised of invasion, intravasation, survival in circulation, extravasation, and formation of metastatic colonies. Currently, in vitro assays are limited in their ability to investigate these intricate processes and do not faithfully reflect metastasis as it occurs in vivo. Traditional in vivo models of metastasis are limited by their ability to visualize the seemingly sporadic behavior of where and when cancer cells spread (Reymond et al., Nat Rev Cancer 13:858-870, 2013). The avian embryo model of metastasis is a powerful platform to study many of the critical steps in the metastatic cascade including the migration, extravasation, and invasion of human cancer cells in vivo (Sung et al., Nat Commun 6:7164, 2015; Leong et al., Cell Rep 8, 1558-1570, 2014; Kain et al., Dev Dyn 243:216-28, 2014; Leong et al., Nat Protoc 5:1406-17, 2010; Zijlstra et al., Cancer Cell 13:221-234, 2008; Palmer et al., J Vis Exp 51:2815, 2011). The chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is a readily accessible and well-vascularized tissue that surrounds the developing embryo. When the chicken embryo is grown in a shell-less, ex ovo environment, the nearly transparent CAM provides an ideal environment for high-resolution fluorescent microcopy approaches. In this model, the embryonic chicken vasculature and labeled cancer cells can be visualized simultaneously to investigate specific steps in the metastatic cascade including extravasation. When combined with the proper image analysis tools, the ex ovo chicken embryo model offers a cost-effective and high-throughput platform for the quantitativeanalysis of tumor cell metastasis in a physiologically relevant in vivo setting. Here we discuss detailed procedures to quantify cancer cell extravasation in the shell-less chicken embryo model with advanced fluorescence

The quantitative expression of E-cadherin, thrombomodulin, CD44H and CD44v6 in 32 specimens of primary tumours of pharynx/larynx squamous cell carcinoma and their lymph node metastases was studied by immunohistochemistry. With the aim of obtaining comparative and objective data, image acquisition conditions were kept unaltered for all the measurements and the immunostaining intensity was quantified by applying an image processing system. On the one hand, correlations were only observed between CD44H and CD44v6, both in primary tumours and metastases, and between E-cadherin and TM in metastases. On the other hand, statistical analyses of paired data did not show significant differences in the expression of these markers between the two tumour sites. In agreement with previous reports, E-cadherin expression was rather low or negative in primary tumours and metastases of the three poorly differentiated specimens we studied, as well as that of TM, but otherwise some of these samples showed intermediate immunostaining levels of CD44H/CD44v6. It may be concluded from the present study that the quantitative expression of these adhesion molecules in well established lymph node metastases of pharynx/larynx squamous cell carcinoma is essentially unaltered in relation to their primary sites. PMID:10609562

LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is a mission aiming to test the critical technology for the forthcoming space-based gravitational-wave detectors. The main scientific objective of the LPF mission is to demonstrate test masses free falling with residual accelerations below 3×10-14ms-2/Hz at 1 mHz. Reaching such an ambitious target will require a significant amount of system optimization and characterization, which will in turn require accurate and quantitative noise analysis procedures. In this paper, we discuss two main problems associated with the analysis of the data from LPF: i) excess noise detection and ii) noise parameter identification. The mission is focused on the low-frequency region ([0.1, 10] mHz) of the available signal spectrum. In such a region, the signal is dominated by the force noise acting on test masses. At the same time, the mission duration is limited to 90 days and typical data segments will be 24 hours in length. Considering those constraints, noise analysis is expected to deal with a limited amount of non-Gaussian data, since the spectrum statistics will be far from Gaussian and the lowest available frequency is limited by the data length. In this paper, we analyze the details of the expected statistics for spectral data and develop two suitable excess noise estimators. One is based on the statistical properties of the integrated spectrum, the other is based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The sensitivity of the estimators is discussed theoretically for independent data, then the algorithms are tested on LPF synthetic data. The test on realistic LPF data allows the effect of spectral data correlations on the efficiency of the different noise excess estimators to be highlighted. It also reveals the versatility of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov approach, which can be adapted to provide reasonable results on correlated data from a modified version of the standard equations for the inversion of the test statistic. Closely related to excess noise detection, the

The understanding of the effective functionality that governs the enzymatic self-organized processes in cellular conditions is a crucial topic in the post-genomic era. In recent studies, Transfer Entropy has been proposed as a rigorous, robust and self-consistent method for the causal quantification of the functional information flow among nonlinear processes. Here, in order to quantify the functional connectivity for the glycolytic enzymes in dissipative conditions we have analyzed different catalytic patterns using the technique of Transfer Entropy. The data were obtained by means of a yeast glycolytic model formed by three delay differential equations where the enzymatic rate equations of the irreversible stages have been explicitly considered. These enzymatic activity functions were previously modeled and tested experimentally by other different groups. The results show the emergence of a new kind of dynamical functional structure, characterized by changing connectivity flows and a metabolic invariant that constrains the activity of the irreversible enzymes. In addition to the classical topological structure characterized by the specific location of enzymes, substrates, products and feedback-regulatory metabolites, an effective functional structure emerges in the modeled glycolytic system, which is dynamical and characterized by notable variations of the functional interactions. The dynamical structure also exhibits a metabolic invariant which constrains the functional attributes of the enzymes. Finally, in accordance with the classical biochemical studies, our numerical analysis reveals in a quantitative manner that the enzyme phosphofructokinase is the key-core of the metabolic system, behaving for all conditions as the main source of the effective causal flows in yeast glycolysis. PMID:22393350

We present a quantitativeanalysis of the hydrocarbon spectral bands measured on three of Saturn's satellites, Phoebe, Iaperus, and Hyperion. These bands, measured with the Cassini Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on close fly-by's of these satellites, are the C-H stretching modes of aromatic hydrocarbons at approximately 3.28 micrometers (approximately 3050 per centimeter), and the are four blended bands of aliphatic -CH2- and -CH3 in the range approximately 3.36-3.52 micrometers (approximately 2980- 2840 per centimeter) bably indicating the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), is unusually strong in comparison to the aliphatic bands, resulting in a unique signarure among Solar System bodies measured so far, and as such offers a means of comparison among the three satellites. The ratio of the C-H bands in aromatic molecules to those in aliphatic molecules in the surface materials of Phoebe, NAro:NAliph approximately 24; for Hyperion the value is approximately 12, while laperus shows an intermediate value. In view of the trend of the evolution (dehydrogenation by heat and radiation) of aliphatic complexes toward more compact molecules and eventually to aromatics, the relative abundances of aliphatic -CH2- and -CH3- is an indication of the lengths of the molecular chain structures, hence the degree of modification of the original material. We derive CH2:CH3 approximately 2.2 in the spectrum of low-albedo material on laperus; this value is the same within measurement errors to the ratio in the diffuse interstellar medium. The similarity in the spectral signatures of the three satellites, plus the apparent weak trend of aromatic/aliphatic abundance from Phoebe to Hyperion, is consistent with, and effectively confirms that the source of the hydrocarbon-bearing material is Phoebe, and that the appearance of that material on the other two satellites arises from the deposition of the inward-spiraling dust that populates the Phoebe ring.

This article analyses the hearing and behaviour of mosquitoes in the context of inter-individual acoustic interactions. The acoustic interactions of tethered live pairs of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, from same and opposite sex mosquitoes of the species, are recorded on independent and unique audio channels, together with the response of tethered individual mosquitoes to playbacks of pre-recorded flight tones of lone or paired individuals. A time-dependent representation of each mosquito's non-stationary wing beat frequency signature is constructed, based on Hilbert spectral analysis. A range of algorithmic tools is developed to automatically analyse these data, and used to perform a robust quantitative identification of the ‘harmonic convergence’ phenomenon. The results suggest that harmonic convergence is an active phenomenon, which does not occur by chance. It occurs for live pairs, as well as for lone individuals responding to playback recordings, whether from the same or opposite sex. Male–female behaviour is dominated by frequency convergence at a wider range of harmonic combinations than previously reported, and requires participation from both partners in the duet. New evidence is found to show that male–male interactions are more varied than strict frequency avoidance. Rather, they can be divided into two groups: convergent pairs, typified by tightly bound wing beat frequencies, and divergent pairs, that remain widely spaced in the frequency domain. Overall, the results reveal that mosquito acoustic interaction is a delicate and intricate time-dependent active process that involves both individuals, takes place at many different frequencies, and which merits further enquiry. PMID:27053654

This article analyses the hearing and behaviour of mosquitoes in the context of inter-individual acoustic interactions. The acoustic interactions of tethered live pairs of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, from same and opposite sex mosquitoes of the species, are recorded on independent and unique audio channels, together with the response of tethered individual mosquitoes to playbacks of pre-recorded flight tones of lone or paired individuals. A time-dependent representation of each mosquito's non-stationary wing beat frequency signature is constructed, based on Hilbert spectral analysis. A range of algorithmic tools is developed to automatically analyse these data, and used to perform a robust quantitative identification of the 'harmonic convergence' phenomenon. The results suggest that harmonic convergence is an active phenomenon, which does not occur by chance. It occurs for live pairs, as well as for lone individuals responding to playback recordings, whether from the same or opposite sex. Male-female behaviour is dominated by frequency convergence at a wider range of harmonic combinations than previously reported, and requires participation from both partners in the duet. New evidence is found to show that male-male interactions are more varied than strict frequency avoidance. Rather, they can be divided into two groups: convergent pairs, typified by tightly bound wing beat frequencies, and divergent pairs, that remain widely spaced in the frequency domain. Overall, the results reveal that mosquito acoustic interaction is a delicate and intricate time-dependent active process that involves both individuals, takes place at many different frequencies, and which merits further enquiry. PMID:27053654

Phase object exists widely in nature, such as biological cells, optical components, atmospheric flow field and so on. The phase detection of objects has great significance in the basic research, nondestructive testing, aerospace, military weapons and other areas. The usual methods of phase object detection include interference method, grating method, schlieren method, and phase-contrast method etc. These methods have their own advantages, but they also have some disadvantages on detecting precision, environmental requirements, cost, detection rate, detection range, detection linearity in various applications, even the most sophisticated method-phase contrast method mainly used in microscopic structure, lacks quantitativeanalysis of the size of the phase of the object and the relationship between the image contrast and the optical system. In this paper, various phase detection means and the characteristics of different applications are analyzed based on the optical information processing, and a phase detection system based on optical filtering is formed. Firstly the frequency spectrum of the phase object is achieved by Fourier transform lens in the system, then the frequency spectrum is changed reasonably by the filter, at last the image which can represent the phase distribution through light intensity is achieved by the inverse Fourier transform. The advantages and disadvantages of the common used filters such as 1/4 wavelength phase filter, high-pass filter and edge filter are analyzed, and their phase resolution is analyzed in the same optical information processing system, and the factors impacting phase resolution are pointed out. The paper draws a conclusion that there exists an optimal filter which makes the detect accuracy best for any application. At last, we discussed how to design an optimal filter through which the ability of the phase testing of optical information processing system can be improved most.

Although the radiographic parameters of the transverse talocalcaneal angle (tTCA), calcaneocuboid angle (CCA), talar head uncovering (THU), calcaneal inclination angle (CIA), talar declination angle (TDA), lateral talar-first metatarsal angle (lTFA), and lateral talocalcaneal angle (lTCA) form the basis of the preoperative evaluation and procedure selection for pes planovalgus deformity, the so-called normal values of these measurements are not well-established. The objectives of the present study were to retrospectively evaluate the descriptive statistics of these radiographic parameters (tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA) in a large population, and, second, to determine an objective basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. As a secondary outcome, the relationship of these variables to the body mass index was assessed. Anteroposterior and lateral foot radiographs from 250 consecutive patients without a history of previous foot and ankle surgery and/or trauma were evaluated. The results revealed a mean measurement of 24.12°, 13.20°, 74.32%, 16.41°, 26.64°, 8.37°, and 43.41° for the tTCA, CCA, THU, CIA, TDA, lTFA, and lTCA, respectively. These were generally in line with the reported historical normal values. Descriptive statistical analysis demonstrated that the tTCA, THU, and TDA met the standards to be considered normally distributed but that the CCA, CIA, lTFA, and lTCA demonstrated data characteristics of both parametric and nonparametric distributions. Furthermore, only the CIA (R = -0.2428) and lTCA (R = -0.2449) demonstrated substantial correlation with the body mass index. No differentiations in deformity progression were observed when the radiographic parameters were plotted against each other to lead to a quantitative basis for defining "normal" versus "abnormal" measurements. PMID:26002682

Our aim was to investigate the value of salivary concentrations of four major periodontal pathogens and their combination in diagnostics of periodontitis. The Parogene study included 462 dentate subjects (mean age 62.9 ± 9.2 years) with coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis who underwent an extensive clinical and radiographic oral examination. Salivary levels of four major periodontal bacteria were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Median salivary concentrations of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, and Prevotella intermedia, as well as the sum of the concentrations of the four bacteria, were higher in subjects with moderate to severe periodontitis compared to subjects with no to mild periodontitis. Median salivary Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans concentrations did not differ significantly between the subjects with no to mild periodontitis and subjects with moderate to severe periodontitis. In logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, and the number of teeth and implants, high salivary concentrations of P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, and P. intermedia were significantly associated with moderate to severe periodontitis. When looking at different clinical and radiographic parameters of periodontitis, high concentrations of P. gingivalis and T. forsythia were significantly associated with the number of 4–5 mm periodontal pockets, ≥6 mm pockets, and alveolar bone loss (ABL). High level of T. forsythia was associated also with bleeding on probing (BOP). The combination of the four bacteria, i.e., the bacterial burden index, was associated with moderate to severe periodontitis with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.40 (95% CI 1.39–4.13). When A. actinomycetemcomitans was excluded from the combination of the bacteria, the OR was improved to 2.61 (95% CI 1.51–4.52). The highest OR 3.59 (95% CI 1.94–6.63) was achieved when P. intermedia was further excluded from the combination and only the levels of P. gingivalis and

We report on the quantitative characterization of the plasmonic optical near-field of a single silver nanoparticle. Our approach relies on nanoscale molecular molding of the confined electromagnetic field by photoactivated molecules. We were able to directly image the dipolar profile of the near-field distribution with a resolution better than 10 nm and to quantify the near-field depth and its enhancement factor. A single nanoparticle spectral signature was also assessed. This quantitative characterization constitutes a prerequisite for developing nanophotonic applications. PMID:20687536

Prostate cancer is the leading form of malignancies among men in the U.S. While surgery carries a significant risk of impotence and incontinence, traditional chemotherapeutic approaches have been largely unsuccessful. Hormone therapy is effective at early stage, but often fails with the eventual development of hormone-refractory tumors. We have been interested in developing therapeutics targeting specific metabolic deficiency of tumor cells. We recently showed that prostate tumor cells specifically lack an enzyme (argininosuccinate synthase, or ASS) involved in the synthesis of the amino acid arginine(1). This condition causes the tumor cells to become dependent on exogenous arginine, and they undergo metabolic stress when free arginine is depleted by arginine deiminase (ADI)(1,10). Indeed, we have shown that human prostate cancer cells CWR22Rv1 are effectively killed by ADI with caspase-independent apoptosis and aggressive autophagy (or macroautophagy)(1,2,3). Autophagy is an evolutionarily-conserved process that allows cells to metabolize unwanted proteins by lysosomal breakdown during nutritional starvation(4,5). Although the essential components of this pathway are well-characterized(6,7,8,9), many aspects of the molecular mechanism are still unclear - in particular, what is the role of autophagy in the death-response of prostate cancer cells after ADI treatment? In order to address this question, we required an experimental method to measure the level and extent of autophagic response in cells - and since there are no known molecular markers that can accurately track this process, we chose to develop an imaging-based approach, using quantitative 3D fluorescence microscopy(11,12). Using CWR22Rv1 cells specifically-labeled with fluorescent probes for autophagosomes and lysosomes, we show that 3D image stacks acquired with either widefield deconvolution microscopy (and later, with super-resolution, structured-illumination microscopy) can clearly capture the early

Celloidin mounting (embedding without infiltration) of the human central nervous system (CNS) proved to be superior to gelatin embedding for the production of serial sections ranging in thickness from 220 to 500 microm. After gallocyanin-staining, a comprehensive neuroanatomical as well as neuropathological survey of the human brain is possible, including diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Details of a fractionator analysis of the total striatal neuron number are described and the possible quantitativeanalysis of parallel immunohistochemically stained sections is discussed. PMID:11074343

Gastrointestinal tract tumors include a wide variety of vastly different tumors and on a whole are one of the most common malignancies in western countries. These tumors often present at late stages as distant metastases which are then biopsied and may be difficult to differentiate without the aid of immunohistochemical stains. With the exception of pancreatic and biliary tumors where there are no distinct immunohistochemical patterns, most gastrointestinal tumors can be differentiated by their unique immunohistochemical profile. As the size of biopsies decrease, the role of immunohistochemical stains will become even more important in determining the origin and differentiation of gastrointestinal tract tumors. PMID:22943017

Imaging and analyzing gunshot residue (GSR) particles using the scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) is a standard technique that can provide important forensic evidence, but the discrimination power of this technique is limited due to low sensitivity to trace elements and difficulties in obtaining quantitative results from small particles. A new, faster method using a scanning proton microbeam and Particle Induced X-ray Emission (μ-PIXE), together with Elastic Backscattering Spectrometry (EBS) is presented for the non-destructive, quantitativeanalysis of the elemental composition of single GSR particles. In this study, the GSR particles were all Pb, Ba, Sb. The precision of the method is assessed. The grouping behaviour of different makes of ammunition is determined using multivariate analysis. The protocol correctly groups the cartridges studied here, with a confidence >99%, irrespective of the firearm or population of particles selected. PMID:23775063

Quantitative reasoning is a key intellectual skill, applicable across disciplines and best taught in the context of authentic, relevant problems. Here, I describe and assess a laboratory exercise that has students calculate their "carbon footprint" and evaluate the impacts of various behavior choices on that footprint. Students gather…

Today I will talk about the use of quantitative or Real time PCR for the standardized identification and quantification of molds. There are probably at least 100,000 species of molds or fungi. But there are actually about 100 typically found indoors. Some pose a threat to human...

The results describing the effect of different factors on errors in quantitative determination of the phase composition of studied substances by Moessbauer spectroscopy absorption are presented, and the ways of using them are suggested. The effectiveness of the suggested methods is verified by an example of analyzing standard and unknown compositions.

In this study, a combination HPLC-DART-TOF-MS system was utilized to identify and quantitatively analyze carbohydrates in wild type and mutant strains of Fusarium verticillioides. Carbohydrate fractions were isolated from F. verticillioides cellular extracts by HPLC using a cation-exchange size-excl...

An analytical method was developed for the radiochemical separation and quantitative recovery of ruthenium, zirconium, niobium, neptunium, cobalt, iron, zinc, strontium, rare earths, chromium and cesium from a wide variety of natural materials. This paper discusses this analytical method, based on the anion exchange properties of the various radionuclides, although both ion exchange and precipitation techniques are incorporated.

Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) is a human pathogen that establishes latency and undergoes periodic reactivation, resulting in chronic recurrent lytic infection. HSV lytic infection is characterized by an organized cascade of three gene classes, however successful transcription and expression of the first, the immediate early class, is critical to the overall success of viral infection. This initial event of lytic infection is also highly dependent on host cell factors. This unit uses RNA interference and small molecule inhibitors to examine the role of host and viral proteins in HSV lytic infection. Methods detailing isolation of viral and host RNA and genomic DNA, followed by quantitative real-time PCR, allow characterization of impacts on viral transcription and replication respectively. Western blot can be used to confirm quantitative PCR results. This combination of protocols represents a starting point for researchers interested in virus-host interactions during HSV lytic infection. PMID:25367270

An HPLC qualitative and quantitative method of seven analytes (caffeine, ephedrine, forskolin, icariin, pseudoephedrine, synephrine, and yohimbine) in thermogenic weight loss preparations available on the market is described in this paper. After 45 min the seven analytes were separated and detected in the acetonitrile: water (80:20) extract. The method uses a Waters XTerra RP18 (5 microm particle size) column as the stationary phase, a gradient mobile phase of water (5.0 mM SDS) and acetonitrile, and a UV detection of 210 nm. The correlation coefficients for the calibration curves and the recovery rates ranged from 0.994 to 0.999 and from 97.45% to 101.05%, respectively. The qualitative and quantitative results are discussed. PMID:15587578

Classical fluorescent microscopy method was used during the last decades in various microbiological studies of terrestrial ecosystems. The method provides representative results and simple application which is allow to use it both as routine part of amplitudinous research and in small-scaled laboratories. Furthermore, depending on research targets a lot of modifications of fluorescent microscopy method were established. Combination and comparison of several approaches is an opportunity of quantitative estimation of microbial community in soil. The first analytical part of the study was dedicated to soil bacterial density estimation by fluorescent microscopy in dynamic of several 30-days experiments. The purpose of research was estimation of changes in soil bacterial community on the different soil horizons under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with adding nutrients in two experimental sets: cellulose and chitin. Was modified the nalidixic acid method for inhibition of DNA division of gram-negative bacteria, and the method provides the quantification of this bacterial group by fluorescent microscopy. Established approach allowed to estimate 3-4 times more cells of gram-negative bacteria in soil. The functions of actinomyces in soil polymer destruction are traditionally considered as dominant in comparison to gram-negative bacterial group. However, quantification of gram-negative bacteria in chernozem and peatland provides underestimation of classical notion for this bacterial group. Chitin introduction had no positive effect to gram-negative bacterial population density changes in chernozem but concurrently this nutrient provided the fast growing dynamics at the first 3 days of experiment both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This is confirming chitinolytic activity of gram-negative bacteria in soil organic matter decomposition. At the next part of research modified method for soil gram-negative bacteria quantification was compared to fluorescent in situ

A large number of previous reports have focused on the transport of amyloid-β peptides through cerebral endothelial cells via the blood-brain barrier, while fewer reports have mentioned the transport through the choroid plexus epithelium via the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. Concrete roles of these two pathways remain to be clarified. In this study, we immunohistochemically examined the expression of transporters/receptors that are supposed to be related to the clearance of amyloid-β peptides in the choroid plexus epithelium, the ventricular ependymal cells and the brain microvessels, using seven autopsied human brains. In the choroid plexus epithelium, immunoreactivity for low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), LDLR-related protein 1 (LRP1), LRP2, formylpeptide receptor-like 1 (FPRL1), ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter-A1 (ABCA1), ABCC1 and ABCG4 was seen in 7 of 7 brains, while that for ABCB1, ABCG2, RAGE and CD36 was seen in 0-2 brains. In the ventricular ependymal cells, immunoreactivity for CD36, LDLR, LRP1, LRP2, FPRL1, ABCA1, ABCC1 and ABCG4 was seen in 6-7 brains, while that for ABCB1, ABCG2 and RAGE was seen in 0-1 brain. Immunoreactivity for insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) was seen in three and four brains in the choroid plexus epithelium and the ventricular ependymal cells, respectively. In addition, immunoreactivity for LDLR, ABCB1 and ABCG2 was seen in over 40 % of the microvessels (all seven brains), and that for FPRL1, ABCA1, ABCC1 and RAGE was seen in over 5 % of the microvessels (4-6 brains), while that for CD36, IDE, LRP1, LRP2 and ABCG4 was seen in less than 5 % of the microvessels (0-2 brains). These findings may suggest that these multiple transporters/receptors and IDE expressed on the choroid plexus epithelium, ventricular ependymal cells and brain microvessels complementarily or cooperatively contribute to the clearance of amyloid-β peptides from the brain. PMID:26449856

An experimental procedure, using an apparatus that is easy to construct, was developed to incorporate a quantitative electrogravimetric determination of the solution nickel content into an undergraduate or advanced high school quantitativeanalysis laboratory. This procedure produces results comparable to the procedure used for the gravimetric…

Single amino acid variations are highly associated with many human diseases. The direct detection of peptides containing single amino acid variants (SAAVs) derived from nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in serum can provide unique opportunities for SAAV associated biomarker discovery. In the present study, an isobaric labeling quantitative strategy was applied to identify and quantify variant peptides in serum samples of pancreatic cancer patients and other benign controls. The largest number of SAAV peptides to date in serum including 96 unique variant peptides were quantified in this quantitativeanalysis, of which five variant peptides showed a statistically significant difference between pancreatic cancer and other controls (p-value < 0.05). Significant differences in the variant peptide SDNCEDTPEAGYFAVAVVK from serotransferrin were detected between pancreatic cancer and controls, which was further validated by selected reaction monitoring (SRM) analysis. The novel biomarker panel obtained by combining α-1-antichymotrypsin (AACT), Thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) and this variant peptide showed an excellent diagnostic performance in discriminating pancreatic cancer from healthy controls (AUC = 0.98) and chronic pancreatitis (AUC = 0.90). These results suggest that large-scale analysis of SAAV peptides in serum may provide a new direction for biomarker discovery research. PMID:25393578

A rotor of 12 cm diameter is attached to a precision electric motor, used as a generator, to make a model wind turbine. Output power of the generator is measured in a wind tunnel with up to 15 m s-1 air velocity. The maximum power is 3.4 W, the power conversion factor from kinetic to electric energy is cp = 0.15. The v3 power law is confirmed. The model illustrates several technically important features of industrial wind turbines quantitatively.

Radiotherapy is a fast-developing discipline which plays a major role in cancer care. Quantitativeanalysis of radiotherapy data can improve the success of the treatment and support the prediction of outcome. In this paper, we first identify functional, conceptional and general requirements on a software system for quantitativeanalysis of radiotherapy. Further we present an overview of existing radiotherapy analysis software tools and check them against the stated requirements. As none of them could meet all of the demands presented herein, we analyzed possible conceptional problems and present software design solutions and recommendations to meet the stated requirements (e.g. algorithmic decoupling via dose iterator pattern; analysis database design). As a proof of concept we developed a software library "RTToolbox" following the presented design principles. The RTToolbox is available as open source library and has already been tested in a larger-scale software system for different use cases. These examples demonstrate the benefit of the presented design principles. PMID:23523366

More than 2.5 billion people defecate in the open. The increased commitment of private and public organizations to improving this situation is driving the research and development of new technologies for toilets and latrines. Although key technical aspects are considered by researchers when designing new technologies for developing countries, the basic aspect of offending malodors from human waste is often neglected. With the objective of contributing to technical solutions that are acceptable to global consumers, we investigated the chemical composition of latrine malodors sampled in Africa and India. Field latrines in four countries were evaluated olfactively and the odors qualitatively and quantitatively characterized with three analytical techniques. Sulfur compounds including H2S, methyl mercaptan, and dimethyl-mono-(di;tri) sulfide are important in sewage-like odors of pit latrines under anaerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions, in Nairobi for example, paracresol and indole reached concentrations of 89 and 65 μg/g, respectively, which, along with short chain fatty acids such as butyric acid (13 mg/g) explained the strong rancid, manure and farm yard odor. This work represents the first qualitative and quantitative study of volatile compounds sampled from seven pit latrines in a variety of geographic, technical, and economic contexts in addition to three single stools from India and a pit latrine model system. PMID:23829328

When developing spermatogenic cells are exposed to radiation, chemical carcinogens or mutagens, the transformation in the morphology of the mature sperm can be used to determine the severity of the exposure. In this study five groups of mice with three mice per group received testicular doses of X irradiation at dosage levels ranging from 0 rad to 120 rad. A random sample of 100 mature sperm per mouse was analyzed five weeks later for the quantitative morphologic transformation as a function of dosage level. The cells were stained with gallocyanin chrome alum (GCA) so that only the DNA in the sperm head was visible. The ACUity quantitative microscopy system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory was used to scan the sperm at a sampling density of 16 points per linear micrometer and with 256 brightness levels per point. The contour of each cell was extracted using conventional thresholding techniques on the high-contrast images. For each contour a variety of shape features was then computed to characterize the morphology of that cell. Using the control group and the distribution of their shape features to establish the variability of a normal sperm population, the 95% limits on normal morphology were established. Using only four shape features, a doubling dose of approximately 39 rad was determined. That is, at 39 rad exposure the percentage of abnormal cells was twice that occurring in the control population. This compared to a doubling dose of approximately 70 rad obtained from a concurrent visual procedure. PMID:6184000

To examine the expression of laminin 5 genes (LAMA3, LAMB3, and LAMC2) encoding the three polypeptide chains alpha3, beta3, and gamma2, respectively, in human keratinocytes, we developed novel quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods utilizing Thermus aquaticus DNA polymerase, specific primers, and fluorescein-labeled probes with the ABI PRISM 7700 sequence detector system. Gene expression levels of LAMA3, LAMB3, and LAMC2 and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase were quantitated reproducibly and sensitively in the range from 1 x 10(2) to 1 x 10(8) gene copies. Basal gene expression level of LAMB3 was about one-tenth of that of LAMA3 or LAMC2 in human keratinocytes, although there was no clear difference among immunoprecipitated protein levels of alpha3, beta3, and gamma2 synthesized in radio-labeled keratinocytes. Human serum augmented gene expressions of LAMA3, LAMB3, and LAMC2 in human keratinocytes to almost the same extent, and this was associated with an increase of the laminin 5 protein content measured by a specific sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These results demonstrate that the absolute mRNA levels generated from the laminin 5 genes do not determine the translated protein levels of the laminin 5 chains in keratinocytes, and indicate that the expression of the laminin 5 genes may be controlled by common regulation mechanisms. PMID:15854126

Tumor vasculature is characterized by a variety of abnormalities including irregular architecture, poor lymphatic drainage, and the upregulation of factors that increase the paracellular permeability. The increased permeability is important in mediating the uptake of an intravenously administered drug in a solid tumor and is known as the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Studies in animal models have demonstrated a cut-off size of 500 nm - 1 µm for molecules or nanoparticles to extravasate into a tumor, however, surprisingly little is known about the kinetics of the EPR effect. Here we present a pharmacokinetic model to quantitatively assess the influence of the EPR effect on the uptake of a drug into a solid tumor. We use pharmacokinetic data for Doxil and doxorubicin from human clinical trials to illustrate how the EPR effect influences tumor uptake. This model provides a quantitative framework to guide preclinical trials of new chemotherapies and ultimately to develop design rules that can increase targeting efficiency and decrease unwanted side effects in normal tissue. PMID:25938565

A quantitative PCR, based on the gene encoding Babesia ovis Surface Protein D (BoSPD) was developed and applied to investigate the presence of Babesia ovis (B. ovis) in its principal vector, the tick Rhipicephalus bursa (R. bursa), and in the ovine host. Quantification of B. ovis in experimentally-infected lambs showed a sharp increase in parasitemia 10-11days in blood-inoculated and adult tick-infested lambs, and 24days in a larvae-infested lamb. A gradual decrease of parasitemia was observed in the following months, with parasites detectable 6-12 months post-infection. Examination of the parasite load in adult R. bursa during the post-molting period using the quantitative PCR assay revealed a low parasite load during days 2-7 post-molting, followed by a sharp increase, until day 11, which corresponded to the completion of the pre-feeding period. The assay was then used to detect B. ovis in naturally-infected sheep and ticks. Examination of samples from 8 sheep and 2 goats from infected flocks detected B. ovis in both goats and in 7 out of the 8 sheep. Additionally, B. ovis was detected in 9 tick pools (5 ticks in each pool) and two individual ticks removed from sheep in infected flocks. PMID:27084469

Stereology deals with protocols for describing a 3-D space, when only 2-D sections through solid bodies are available. This paper describes a stereological characterization of the microstructure of a thermal spray deposit. The aim of this work is to present results on the stereological characterization of a thermal spray deposit, using two approaches known as DeHoff`s and Cruz-Orive`s protocols. The individual splats are assumed to have an oblate spheroidal shape. The splat size distribution and elongation ratio distribution of splats are calculated using quantitative information from 2-D plane sections. The stereological methods are implemented to investigate the microstructure of a water stabilized plasma spray-formed Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-13wt.%TiO{sub 2}. Results are obtained with both protocols. The splat sizes range from 0 to 60 {micro}m and shape factors from 0.4 to 1.0. The splats within the deposit seem to be much smaller and thicker (i.e., lower spreading) than those of the first layer deposited onto the substrate. The approach described in this work provides helpful quantitative information on the 3-D microstructure of thermal spray deposit.

Motivated by the current limitations of automated quantitative image analysis in discriminating among intracellular immunohistochemical (IHC) staining patterns, this paper presents a two-fold approach for IHC characterization that utilizes both the protein stain information and the surrounding tissue architecture. Through the use of a color unmixing algorithm, stained tissue sections are automatically decomposed into the IHC stain, which visualizes the target protein, and the counterstain which provides an objective indication of the underlying histologic architecture. Feature measures are subsequently extracted from both staining planes. In order to characterize the IHC expression pattern, this approach exploits the use of a non-traditional feature based on textons. Novel biologically motivated filter banks are introduced in order to derive texture signatures for different IHC staining patterns. Systematic experiments using this approach were used to classify breast cancer tissue microarrays which had been previously prepared using immuno-targeted nuclear, cytoplasmic, and membrane stains. PMID:18044580

Global human progress occurs in a complex web of interactions between society, technology and the environment as driven by governance and infrastructure management capacity among nations. In our globalizing world, this complex web of interactions over the last 200 years has resulted in the chronic widening of economic and political gaps between the haves and the have-nots with consequential global cultural and ecosystem challenges. At the bottom of these challenges is the issue of resource limitations on our finite planet with increasing population. The problem is further compounded by pleasure-driven and poverty-driven ecological depletion and pollution by the haves and the have-nots respectively. These challenges are explored in this paper as global sustainable development (SD) quantitatively; in order to assess the gaps that need to be bridged. Although there has been significant rhetoric on SD with very many qualitative definitions offered, very few quantitative definitions of SD exist. The few that do exist tend to measure SD in terms of social, energy, economic and environmental dimensions. In our research, we used several human survival, development, and progress variables to create an aggregate SD parameter that describes the capacity of nations in three dimensions: social sustainability, environmental sustainability and technological sustainability. Using our proposed quantitative definition of SD and data from relatively reputable secondary sources, 132 nations were ranked and compared. Our comparisons indicate a global hierarchy of needs among nations similar to Maslow's at the individual level. As in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, nations that are struggling to survive are less concerned with environmental sustainability than advanced and stable nations. Nations such as the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway and others have higher SD capacity, and thus, are higher on their hierarchy of needs than nations such as Nigeria, Vietnam, Mexico and other

In the present paper both the partial least squares (PLS) method and the calibration curve (CC) method are used to quantitatively analyze the laser induced breakdown spectroscopy data obtained from the standard alloy steel samples. Both the major and trace elements were quantitatively analyzed. By comparing the results of two different calibration methods some useful results were obtained: for major elements, the PLS method is better than the CC method in quantitativeanalysis; more importantly, for the trace elements, the CC method can not give the quantitative results due to the extremely weak characteristic spectral lines, but the PLS method still has a good ability of quantitativeanalysis. And the regression coefficient of PLS method is compared with the original spectral data with background interference to explain the advantage of the PLS method in the LIBS quantitativeanalysis. Results proved that the PLS method used in laser induced breakdown spectroscopy is suitable for quantitativeanalysis of trace elements such as C in the metallurgical industry. PMID:24822436

We report on quantitative comparison between the electric dipole energy and the Rashba band splitting in model systems of Bi and Sb triangular monolayers under a perpendicular electric field. We used both first-principles and tight binding calculations on p-orbitals with spin-orbit coupling. First-principles calculation shows Rashba band splitting in both systems. It also shows asymmetric charge distributions in the Rashba split bands which are induced by the orbital angular momentum. We calculated the electric dipole energies from coupling of the asymmetric charge distribution and external electric field, and compared it to the Rashba splitting. Remarkably, the total split energy is found to come mostly from the difference in the electric dipole energy for both Bi and Sb systems. A perturbative approach for long wave length limit starting from tight binding calculation also supports that the Rashba band splitting originates mostly from the electric dipole energy difference in the strong atomic spin-orbit coupling regime.

Candle filters are being developed to remove coal ash and other fine particles (<15{mu}m) from hot (ca. 1000 K) gas streams. In the present work, a color scanner was used to digitize hard-copy CT X-ray images of cylindrical SiC filters, and linear regressions converted the scanned (color) data to a filter density for each pixel. These data, with the aid of the density of SiC, gave a filter porosity for each pixel. Radial averages, density-density correlation functions, and other statistical analyses were performed on the density data. The CT images also detected the presence and depth of cracks that developed during usage of the filters. The quantitative data promise to be a very useful addition to the color images.

During metastasis cancer cells disseminate from the primary tumor, invade into surrounding tissues, and spread to distant organs. Metastasis is a complex process that can involve many tissue types, span variable time periods, and often occur deep within organs, making it difficult to investigate and quantify. In addition, the efficacy of the metastatic process is influenced by multiple steps in the metastatic cascade making it difficult to evaluate the contribution of a single aspect of tumor cell behavior. As a consequence, metastasis assays are frequently performed in experimental animals to provide a necessarily realistic context in which to study metastasis. Unfortunately, these models are further complicated by their complex physiology. The chick embryo is a unique in vivo model that overcomes many limitations to studying metastasis, due to the accessibility of the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), a well-vascularized extra-embryonic tissue located underneath the eggshell that is receptive to the xenografting of tumor cells (figure 1). Moreover, since the chick embryo is naturally immunodeficient, the CAM readily supports the engraftment of both normal and tumor tissues. Most importantly, the avian CAM successfully supports most cancer cell characteristics including growth, invasion, angiogenesis, and remodeling of the microenvironment. This makes the model exceptionally useful for the investigation of the pathways that lead to cancer metastasis and to predict the response of metastatic cancer to new potential therapeutics. The detection of disseminated cells by species-specific Alu PCR makes it possible to quantitatively assess metastasis in organs that are colonized by as few as 25 cells. Using the Human Epidermoid Carcinoma cell line (HEp3) we use this model to analyze spontaneous metastasis of cancer cells to distant organs, including the chick liver and lung. Furthermore, using the Alu-PCR protocol we demonstrate the sensitivity and reproducibility of the

Purpose The benefit of computer-assisted navigation depends on the registration process, at which patient features are correlated to some preoperative imagery. The operator-induced uncertainty in localizing patient features – the User Localization Error (ULE) - is unknown and most likely dominating the application accuracy. This initial feasibility study aims at providing first data for ULE with a research navigation system. Methods Active optical navigation was done in CT-images of a plastic skull, an anatomic specimen (both with implanted fiducials) and a volunteer with anatomical landmarks exclusively. Each object was registered ten times with 3, 5, 7, and 9 registration points. Measurements were taken at 10 (anatomic specimen and volunteer) and 11 targets (plastic skull). The active NDI Polaris system was used under ideal working conditions (tracking accuracy 0.23 mm root mean square, RMS; probe tip calibration was 0.18 mm RMS. Variances of tracking along the principal directions were measured as 0.18 mm2, 0.32 mm2, and 0.42 mm2. ULE was calculated from predicted application accuracy with isotropic and anisotropic models and from experimental variances, respectively. Results The ULE was determined from the variances as 0.45 mm (plastic skull), 0.60 mm (anatomic specimen), and 4.96 mm (volunteer). The predicted application accuracy did not yield consistent values for the ULE. Conclusions Quantitative data of application accuracy could be tested against prediction models with iso- and anisotropic noise models and revealed some discrepancies. This could potentially be due to the facts that navigation and one prediction model wrongly assume isotropic noise (tracking is anisotropic), while the anisotropic noise prediction model assumes an anisotropic registration strategy (registration is isotropic in typical navigation systems). The ULE data are presumably the first quantitative values for the precision of localizing anatomical landmarks and implanted fiducials

Theoretical foundation of Response mechanisms in networks of online learners are revealed by Statistical Analysis of p* Markov Models for the Networks. Our comparative analysis of two networks shows that the minimal-effort hunt-for-social-capital mechanism controls a major behavior of both networks: negative tendency to respond. Differences in…

We developed immunohistochemical and image analytical techniques to localize and quantify keratins and desmoplakins in sections of plastic-embedded human gingiva. Acetone fixation followed by plastic embedding of gingiva provided excellent morphology and permitted immunohistochemical detection of keratins 1 and 19 and desmoplakins I & II after 2.5-min trypsin digestion. Quantitative image analysis demonstrated that different volume densities of staining of each marker were associated with specific epithelial strata. Keratin 1 stained most heavily in granular strata, followed by corneal and spinous strata; keratin 19 stained most strongly in the basal layer; desmoplakins I & II stained most strongly in the granular and corneal strata. These findings confirm that variations of keratin and desmoplakin expression in these epithelial are associated with regional patterns of epithelial differentiation. PMID:1706376

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is known as fluctuations of heart rate associated with breathing. It has been increasingly used as a noninvasive index of cardiac vagal tone in psychophysiological research recently. Its analysis is often influenced or distorted by respiratory parameters, posture and action, etc. This paper reviews five methods of quantification, including the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), peak valley RSA (pvRSA), cosinor fitting, spectral analysis, and joint timing-frequency analysis (JTFA). Paced breathing, analysis of covariance, residua method and msRSA per liter tidal volume are adjustment strategies of measurement and analysis of RSA in this article as well. At last, some prospects of solutions of the problems of RSA research are given. PMID:22295719

Background This article provides guidelines for selecting optimal numerical solvers for biomolecular system models. Because various parameters of the same system could have drastically different ranges from 10-15 to 1010, the ODEs can be stiff and ill-conditioned, resulting in non-unique, non-existing, or non-reproducible modeling solutions. Previous studies have not examined in depth how to best select numerical solvers for biomolecular system models, which makes it difficult to experimentally validate the modeling results. To address this problem, we have chosen one of the well-known stiff initial value problems with limit cycle behavior as a test-bed system model. Solving this model, we have illustrated that different answers may result from different numerical solvers. We use MATLAB numerical solvers because they are optimized and widely used by the modeling community. We have also conducted a systematic study of numerical solver performances by using qualitative and quantitative measures such as convergence, accuracy, and computational cost (i.e. in terms of function evaluation, partial derivative, LU decomposition, and "take-off" points). The results show that the modeling solutions can be drastically different using different numerical solvers. Thus, it is important to intelligently select numerical solvers when solving biomolecular system models. Results The classic Belousov-Zhabotinskii (BZ) reaction is described by the Oregonator model and is used as a case study. We report two guidelines in selecting optimal numerical solver(s) for stiff, complex oscillatory systems: (i) for problems with unknown parameters, ode45 is the optimal choice regardless of the relative error tolerance; (ii) for known stiff problems, both ode113 and ode15s are good choices under strict relative tolerance conditions. Conclusions For any given biomolecular model, by building a library of numerical solvers with quantitative performance assessment metric, we show that it is possible

Quantitative NMR spectroscopy is a useful and important tool for analysis of various mixtures. Recently, in addition of traditional quantitative 1D (1)H and (13)C NMR methods, a variety of pulse sequences aimed for quantitative or semiquantitative analysis have been developed. To obtain actual usable results from quantitative spectra, they must be processed and analyzed with suitable software. Currently, there are many processing packages available from spectrometer manufacturers and third party developers, and most of them are capable of analyzing and integration of quantitative spectra. However, they are mainly aimed for processing single or few spectra, and are slow and difficult to use when large numbers of spectra and signals are being analyzed, even when using pre-saved integration areas or custom scripting features. In this article, we present a novel software, ImatraNMR, designed for batch analysis of quantitative spectra. In addition to capability of analyzing large number of spectra, it provides results in text and CSV formats, allowing further data-analysis using spreadsheet programs or general analysis programs, such as Matlab. The software is written with Java, and thus it should run in any platform capable of providing Java Runtime Environment version 1.6 or newer, however, currently it has only been tested with Windows and Linux (Ubuntu 10.04). The software is free for non-commercial use, and is provided with source code upon request. PMID:21705250

Quantitative NMR spectroscopy is a useful and important tool for analysis of various mixtures. Recently, in addition of traditional quantitative 1D 1H and 13C NMR methods, a variety of pulse sequences aimed for quantitative or semiquantitative analysis have been developed. To obtain actual usable results from quantitative spectra, they must be processed and analyzed with suitable software. Currently, there are many processing packages available from spectrometer manufacturers and third party developers, and most of them are capable of analyzing and integration of quantitative spectra. However, they are mainly aimed for processing single or few spectra, and are slow and difficult to use when large numbers of spectra and signals are being analyzed, even when using pre-saved integration areas or custom scripting features. In this article, we present a novel software, ImatraNMR, designed for batch analysis of quantitative spectra. In addition to capability of analyzing large number of spectra, it provides results in text and CSV formats, allowing further data-analysis using spreadsheet programs or general analysis programs, such as Matlab. The software is written with Java, and thus it should run in any platform capable of providing Java Runtime Environment version 1.6 or newer, however, currently it has only been tested with Windows and Linux (Ubuntu 10.04). The software is free for non-commercial use, and is provided with source code upon request.

The literature on TGF-Δ in cancer including data on the expression or activation of TGF-Δ pathway components in specific tumors types is steadily growing. However, no systematic and uniform analysis exists reporting expression levels of the main TGF-Δ pathway components across the most frequent tumor types. We used a standardized immunohistochemical assay investigating TGF-Δ isoform expression and pathway activation across 13 different tumor types and corresponding non-neoplastic tissues. The study was performed on tissue microarrays allowing for the parallel analysis of a total of 1638 human tumor samples. TGF-Δ1, TGF-Δ2 and p-Smad2/3 were substantially expressed in multiple cancers widening the options for TGF-Δ isoform directed therapies. Of note, TGF-Δ antigens appear to be expressed in an individual manner pointing towards a need for patient preselection for TGF-β isoform specific treatment. Yet, a thorough investigation of antibody specificity and assay validity revealed that immunohistochemistry did not correlate with other detection methods on mRNA or protein level in all instances. As such, with the currently available means (i.e. antibodies tested) a stratification of patients within clinical trials for TGF-Δ directed antisense therapies based upon TGF-β immunohistochemistry alone has to be interpreted with caution and should be carefully evaluated in combination with other parameters. PMID:26450853

A number of studies have looked into the pathophysiological role of angiogenesis in CLL, but the results have often been inconsistent. We aimed to gain direct insight into the angiogenic process in lymph nodes involved by CLL, focusing on proangiogenic cytokines and microvessel morphometry. The tissue levels of VEGF, Th-2 cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, IL-8 receptor CXCR2, and tyrosine p-STAT-3/SOCS-3 axis modulating cytokine expression were evaluated immunohistochemically in 62 CLL/SLL cases. Microvascular characteristics were evaluated by image analysis. Results were analyzed with regard to clinicopathological characteristics. Proliferation centers (PCs) were less well vascularised compared to non-PC areas. IL-8 and CXCR2 expression was distinctly uncommon as opposed to IL-6, VEGF and SOCS-3, which were detected in the vast majority of cases. The latter two molecule expressions were more pronounced in the PCs in ∼40% of the cases. p-STAT-3 immunoreactivity was recorded in 66.67% of the cases with a predilection for PCs. Microvessel morphometry was unrelated to proangiogenic cytokines, p-STAT-3, SOCS-3, or survival. Microvascular caliber and VEGF expression were higher in Binet stage A, whereasIL-6 expression was higher in stage C. VEGF and p-STAT-3 exerted a favorable effect on progression, which remained significant in multivariate analysis, thereby constituting potential outcome predictors in CLL patients. PMID:24883303

In the study of the dynamics and kinematics of the human body, a wide variety of technologies was developed. Photogrammetric techniques are well documented and are known to provide reliable positional data from recorded images. Often these techniques are used in conjunction with cinematography and videography for analysis of planar motion, and to a lesser degree three-dimensional motion. Cinematography has been the most widely used medium for movement analysis. Excessive operating costs and the lag time required for film development coupled with recent advances in video technology have allowed video based motion analysis systems to emerge as a cost effective method of collecting and analyzing human movement. The Anthropometric and Biomechanics Lab at Johnson Space Center utilizes the video based Ariel Performance Analysis System to develop data on shirt-sleeved and space-suited human performance in order to plan efficient on orbit intravehicular and extravehicular activities. The system is described.

The astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) are only the most visible part of a much larger team engaged around the clock in the performance of science and technical activities in space. The bulk of such team is scattered around the globe in five major Mission Control Centers (MCCs), as well as in a number of smaller payload operations centres. Communication between the crew in space and the flight controllers at those locations is an essential element and one of the key drivers to efficient space operations. Such communication can be carried out in different forms, depending on available technical assets and the selected operational approach for the activity at hand. This paper focuses on operational voice communication and provides a quantitative overview of the balance achieved in the Columbus program between collaborative space/ground operations and autonomous on-board activity execution. An interpretation of the current situation is provided, together with a description of potential future approaches for deep space exploration missions. PMID:26290898

We report on quantitative comparison between the electric dipole energy and the Rashba band splitting in model systems of Bi and Sb triangular monolayers under a perpendicular electric field. We used both first-principles and tight binding calculations on p-orbitals with spin-orbit coupling. First-principles calculation shows Rashba band splitting in both systems. It also shows asymmetric charge distributions in the Rashba split bands which are induced by the orbital angular momentum. We calculated the electric dipole energies from coupling of the asymmetric charge distribution and external electric field, and compared it to the Rashba splitting. Remarkably, the total split energy is found to come mostly from the difference in the electric dipole energy for both Bi and Sb systems. A perturbative approach for long wave length limit starting from tight binding calculation also supports that the Rashba band splitting originates mostly from the electric dipole energy difference in the strong atomic spin-orbit coupling regime. PMID:26323493

We report on quantitative comparison between the electric dipole energy and the Rashba band splitting in model systems of Bi and Sb triangular monolayers under a perpendicular electric field. We used both first-principles and tight binding calculations on p-orbitals with spin-orbit coupling. First-principles calculation shows Rashba band splitting in both systems. It also shows asymmetric charge distributions in the Rashba split bands which are induced by the orbital angular momentum. We calculated the electric dipole energies from coupling of the asymmetric charge distribution and external electric field, and compared it to the Rashba splitting. Remarkably, the total split energy is found to come mostly from the difference in the electric dipole energy for both Bi and Sb systems. A perturbative approach for long wave length limit starting from tight binding calculation also supports that the Rashba band splitting originates mostly from the electric dipole energy difference in the strong atomic spin-orbit coupling regime. PMID:26323493

We introduce the micro-diode-model (MDM) based on a discrete network of interconnected diodes, which allows for quantitative description of lateral electroluminescence emission images obtained from organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Besides the distributed solar cell description, the equivalent circuit, respectively, network model considers interface and bulk resistances as well as the sheet resistance of the semitransparent electrode. The application of this model allows direct calculation of the lateral current and voltage distribution within the solar cell and thus accounts well for effects known as current crowding. In addition, network parameters such as internal resistances and the sheet-resistance of the higher resistive electrode can be determined. Furthermore, upon introduction of current sources the micro-diode-model also is able to describe and predict current-voltage characteristics for solar cell devices under illumination. The local nature of this description yields important conclusions concerning the geometry dependent performance and the validity of classical models and equivalent circuits describing thin film solar cells.

We propose an adaptable framework for analyzing ultrasound (US) images quantitatively to provide computer-aided diagnosis using machine learning. Our preliminary clinical targets are hepatic steatosis, adenomyosis, and craniosynostosis. For steatosis and adenomyosis, we collected US studies from 288 and 88 patients, respectively, as well as their biopsy or magnetic resonanceconfirmed diagnosis. Radiologists identified a region of interest (ROI) on each image. We filtered the US images for various texture responses and use the pixel intensity distribution within each ROI as feature parameterizations. Our craniosynostosis dataset consisted of 22 CT-confirmed cases and 22 age-matched controls. One physician manually measured the vectors from the center of the skull to the outer cortex at every 10 deg for each image and we used the principal directions as shape features for parameterization. These parameters and the known diagnosis were used to train classifiers. Testing with cross-validation, we obtained 72.74% accuracy and 0.71 area under receiver operating characteristics curve for steatosis ([Formula: see text]), 77.27% and 0.77 for adenomyosis ([Formula: see text]), and 88.63% and 0.89 for craniosynostosis ([Formula: see text]). Our framework is able to detect a variety of diseases with high accuracy. We hope to include it as a routinely available support system in the clinic. PMID:26835502

Many pheromones have very low water solubility, posing experimental difficulties for quantitative binding measurements. A new method is presented for determining thermodynamically valid dissociation constants for ligands binding to pheromone-binding proteins (OBPs), using β-cyclodextrin as a solubilizer and transfer agent. The method is applied to LUSH, a Drosophila OBP that binds the pheromone 11-cis vaccenyl acetate (cVA). Refolding of LUSH expressed in E. coli was assessed by measuring N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (NPN) binding and Förster resonance energy transfer between LUSH tryptophan 123 (W123) and NPN. Binding of cVA was measured from quenching of W123 fluorescence as a function of cVA concentration. The equilibrium constant for transfer of cVA between β-cyclodextrin and LUSH was determined from a linked equilibria model. This constant, multiplied by the β-cyclodextrin-cVA dissociation constant, gives the LUSH-cVA dissociation constant: ~100 nM. It was also found that other ligands quench W123 fluorescence. The LUSH-ligand dissociation constants were determined to be ~200 nM for the silk moth pheromone bombykol and ~90 nM for methyl oleate. The results indicate that the ligand-binding cavity of LUSH can accommodate a variety ligands with strong binding interactions. Implications of this for the pheromone receptor model proposed by Laughlin et al. (Cell 133: 1255–65, 2008) are discussed. PMID:23121132

We developed a number of new or improved metrology techniques to measure the spatial distributions of multiple elements in ICF ablator capsules to tight NIF specifications (0.5±0.1 at% Cu, 0.25±0.10 at% Ar, 0.4±0.4 at% O). The elements are either the graded dopants for shock timing, such as Cu in Be, or process-induced impurities, such as Ar and O. Their low concentration, high spatial variation and simultaneous presence make the measurement very difficult. We solved this metrology challenge by combining several techniques: Cu and Ar profiles can be nondestructively measured by operating Contact Radiography (CR) in a differential mode. The result, as well as the O profile, can be checked destructively by a quantitative Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) method. Non-spatially resolved methods, such as absorption edge spectroscopy (and to a lesser accuracy, x-ray fluorescence) can calibrate the Ar and Cu measurement in EDS and CR. In addition, oxygen pick-up during mandrel removal can be validated by before-and-after CR and by density change. Use of all these methods gives multiple checks on the reported profiles.

To identify the proteins associated with soluble alpha-synuclein (AS) that might promote AS aggregation, a key event leading to neurodegeneration, we quantitatively compared protein profiles of AS-associated protein complexes in MES cells exposed to rotenone, a pesticide that produces parkinsonism in animals and induces Lewy body (LB)-like inclusions in the remaining dopaminergic neurons, and to vehicle. We identified more than 250 proteins associated with Nonidet P-40 soluble AS, and demonstrated that at least 51 of these proteins displayed significant differences in their relative abundance in AS complexes under conditions where rotenone was cytotoxic and induced formation of cytoplasmic inclusions immunoreactive to anti-AS. Overexpressing one of these proteins, heat shock protein (hsp) 70, not only protected cells from rotenone-mediated cytotoxicity but also decreased soluble AS aggregation. Furthermore, the protection afforded by hsp70 transfection appeared to be related to suppression of rotenone-induced oxidative stress as well as mitochondrial and proteasomal dysfunction. PMID:15234983

Intracellular transport of DNA carriers is a fundamental step of gene delivery. By combining both theoretical and numerical approaches we study here single and several viruses and DNA particles trafficking in the cell cytoplasm to a small nuclear pore. We present a physical model to account for certain aspects of cellular organization, starting with the observation that a viral trajectory consists of epochs of pure diffusion and epochs of active transport along microtubules. We define a general degradation rate to describe the limitations of the delivery of plasmid or viral particles to a nuclear pore imposed by various types of direct and indirect hydrolysis activity inside the cytoplasm. By replacing the switching dynamics by a single steady state stochastic description, we obtain estimates for the probability and the mean time for the first one of many particles to go from the cell membrane to a small nuclear pore. Computational simulations confirm that our model can be used to analyze and interpret viral trajectories and estimate quantitatively the success of nuclear delivery.

Over recent years small submicroscopic DNA copy-number variants (CNVs) have been highlighted as an important source of variation in the human genome, human phenotypic diversity and disease susceptibility. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of methods that allow the efficient, accurate and cheap measurement of genomic copy number polymorphisms in clinical cohorts. We have developed a simple competitive PCR based method to determine DNA copy number which uses the entire genome of a single chimpanzee as a competitor thus eliminating the requirement for competitive sequences to be synthesized for each assay. This results in the requirement for only a single reference sample for all assays and dramatically increases the potential for large numbers of loci to be analysed in multiplex. In this study we establish proof of concept by accurately detecting previously characterized mutations at the PARK2 locus and then demonstrating the potential of quantitative interspecies competitive PCR (qicPCR) to accurately genotype CNVs in association studies by analysing chromosome 22q11 deletions in a sample of previously characterized patients and normal controls. PMID:18697816

In this paper, ten CME events viewed by the STEREO twin spacecraft are analyzed to study the deflections of CMEs during their propagation in the corona. Based on the three-dimensional information of the CMEs derived by the graduated cylindrical shell (GCS) model (Thernisien, Howard, and Vourlidas in Astrophys. J. 652, 1305, 2006), it is found that the propagation directions of eight CMEs had changed. By applying the theoretical method proposed by Shen et al. ( Solar Phys. 269, 389, 2011) to all the CMEs, we found that the deflections are consistent, in strength and direction, with the gradient of the magnetic energy density. There is a positive correlation between the deflection rate and the strength of the magnetic energy density gradient and a weak anti-correlation between the deflection rate and the CME speed. Our results suggest that the deflections of CMEs are mainly controlled by the background magnetic field and can be quantitatively described by the magnetic energy density gradient (MEDG) model.

Laterality is believed to have genetic components, as has been deduced from family studies in humans and responses to artificial selection in mice, but these genetic components are unknown and the underlying physiological mechanisms are still a subject of dispute. We measured direction of laterality (preferential use of left or right paws) and degree of laterality (absolute difference between the use of left and right paws) in C57BL/6ByJ (B) and NZB/BlNJ (N) mice and in their F(1) and F(2) intercrosses. Measurements were taken of both forepaws and hind paws. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) did not emerge for direction but did for degree of laterality. One QTL for forepaw (LOD score = 5.6) and the second QTL for hind paw (LOD score = 7.2) were both located on chromosome 4 and their peaks were within the same confidence interval. A QTL for plasma luteinizing hormone concentration was also found in the confidence interval of these two QTL. These results suggest that the physiological mechanisms underlying degree of laterality react to gonadal steroids. PMID:12663540

We have earlier reported antileishmanial activity of hypericin by spermidine starvation. In the current report, we have used label free proteome quantitation approach to identify differentially modulated proteins after hypericin treatment. A total of 141 proteins were found to be differentially regulated with ANOVA P value less than 0.05 in hypericin treated Leishmania promastigotes. Differentially modulated proteins have been broadly classified under nine major categories. Increase in ribosomal protein S7 protein suggests the repression of translation. Inhibition of proteins related to ubiquitin proteasome system, RNA binding protein and translation initiation factor also suggests altered translation. We have also observed increased expression of Hsp 90, Hsp 83–1 and stress inducible protein 1. Significant decreased level of cyclophilin was observed. These stress related protein could be cellular response of the parasite towards hypericin induced cellular stress. Also, defective metabolism, biosynthesis and replication of nucleic acids, flagellar movement and signalling of the parasite were observed as indicated by altered expression of proteins involved in these pathways. The data was analyzed rigorously to get further insight into hypericin induced parasitic death. PMID:27123864

Steady-state microdialysis is a widely used technique to monitor the concentration changes and distributions of substances in tissues. To obtain more information about brain tissue properties from microdialysis, a dual-probe approach was applied to infuse and sample the radiotracer, [3H]mannitol, simultaneously both in agar gel and in the rat striatum. Because the molecules released by one probe and collected by the other must diffuse through the interstitial space, the concentration profile exhibits dynamic behavior that permits the assessment of the diffusion characteristics in the brain extracellular space and the clearance characteristics. In this paper a mathematical model for dual-probe microdialysis was developed to study brain interstitial diffusion and clearance processes. Theoretical expressions for the spatial distribution of the infused tracer in the brain extracellular space and the temporal concentration at the probe outlet were derived. A fitting program was developed using the simplex algorithm, which finds local minima of the standard deviations between experiments and theory by adjusting the relevant parameters. The theoretical curves accurately fitted the experimental data and generated realistic diffusion parameters, implying that the mathematical model is capable of predicting the interstitial diffusion behavior of [3H]mannitol and that it will be a valuable quantitative tool in dual-probe microdialysis. PMID:12067242

The astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) are only the most visible part of a much larger team engaged around the clock in the performance of science and technical activities in space. The bulk of such team is scattered around the globe in five major Mission Control Centers (MCCs), as well as in a number of smaller payload operations centres. Communication between the crew in space and the flight controllers at those locations is an essential element and one of the key drivers to efficient space operations. Such communication can be carried out in different forms, depending on available technical assets and the selected operational approach for the activity at hand. This paper focuses on operational voice communication and provides a quantitative overview of the balance achieved in the Columbus program between collaborative space/ground operations and autonomous on-board activity execution. An interpretation of the current situation is provided, together with a description of potential future approaches for deep space exploration missions. PMID:26290898

Cryptococcus neoformans is a facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of cryptococcosis, a disease that is often fatal to those with compromised immune systems. C. neoformans has the capacity to escape phagocytic cells through a process known as nonlytic exocytosis whereby the cryptococcal cell is released from the macrophage into the extracellular environment, leaving both the host and pathogen alive. Little is known about the mechanism behind nonlytic exocytosis, but there is evidence that both the fungal and host cells contribute to the process. In this study, we used time-lapse movies of C. neoformans-infected macrophages to delineate the kinetics and quantitative aspects of nonlytic exocytosis. We analyzed approximately 800 macrophages containing intracellular C. neoformans and identified 163 nonlytic exocytosis events that were further characterized into three subcategories: type I (complete emptying of macrophage), type II (partial emptying of macrophage), and type III (cell-to-cell transfer). The majority of type I and II events occurred after several hours of intracellular residence, whereas type III events occurred significantly (P < 0.001) earlier in the course of macrophage infection. Our results show that nonlytic exocytosis is a morphologically and temporally diverse process that occurs relatively rapidly in the course of macrophage infection. PMID:24595144

Exocytosis from the rod photoreceptor is stimulated by submicromolar Ca(2+) and exhibits an unusually shallow dependence on presynaptic Ca(2+). To provide a quantitative description of the photoreceptor Ca(2+) sensor for exocytosis, we tested a family of conventional and allosteric computational models describing the final Ca(2+)-binding steps leading to exocytosis. Simulations were fit to two measures of release, evoked by flash-photolysis of caged Ca(2+): exocytotic capacitance changes from individual rods and postsynaptic currents of second-order neurons. The best simulations supported the occupancy of only two Ca(2+) binding sites on the rod Ca(2+) sensor rather than the typical four or five. For most models, the on-rates for Ca(2+) binding and maximal fusion rate were comparable to those of other neurons. However, the off-rates for Ca(2+) unbinding were unexpectedly slow. In addition to contributing to the high-affinity of the photoreceptor Ca(2+) sensor, slow Ca(2+) unbinding may support the fusion of vesicles located at a distance from Ca(2+) channels. In addition, partial sensor occupancy due to slow unbinding may contribute to the linearization of the first synapse in vision. PMID:20483317

Abstract Exocytosis from the rod photoreceptor is stimulated by submicromolar Ca2+ and exhibits an unusually shallow dependence on presynaptic Ca2+. To provide a quantitative description of the photoreceptor Ca2+ sensor for exocytosis, we tested a family of conventional and allosteric computational models describing the final Ca2+-binding steps leading to exocytosis. Simulations were fit to two measures of release, evoked by flash-photolysis of caged Ca2+: exocytotic capacitance changes from individual rods and postsynaptic currents of second-order neurons. The best simulations supported the occupancy of only two Ca2+ binding sites on the rod Ca2+ sensor rather than the typical four or five. For most models, the on-rates for Ca2+ binding and maximal fusion rate were comparable to those of other neurons. However, the off-rates for Ca2+ unbinding were unexpectedly slow. In addition to contributing to the high-affinity of the photoreceptor Ca2+ sensor, slow Ca2+ unbinding may support the fusion of vesicles located at a distance from Ca2+ channels. In addition, partial sensor occupancy due to slow unbinding may contribute to the linearization of the first synapse in vision. PMID:20483317

Objective. To assess quantitatively the impact of task selection in the performance of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Approach. We consider the task-pairs derived from multi-class BCI imagery movement tasks in three different datasets. We analyze for the first time the benefits of task selection on a large-scale basis (109 users) and evaluate the possibility of transferring task-pair information across days for a given subject. Main results. Selecting the subject-dependent optimal task-pair among three different imagery movement tasks results in approximately 20% potential increase in the number of users that can be expected to control a binary BCI. The improvement is observed with respect to the best task-pair fixed across subjects. The best task-pair selected for each subject individually during a first day of recordings is generally a good task-pair in subsequent days. In general, task learning from the user side has a positive influence in the generalization of the optimal task-pair, but special attention should be given to inexperienced subjects. Significance. These results add significant evidence to existing literature that advocates task selection as a necessary step towards usable BCIs. This contribution motivates further research focused on deriving adaptive methods for task selection on larger sets of mental tasks in practical online scenarios.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a facultative intracellular pathogen and the causative agent of cryptococcosis, a disease that is often fatal to those with compromised immune systems. C. neoformans has the capacity to escape phagocytic cells through a process known as nonlytic exocytosis whereby the cryptococcal cell is released from the macrophage into the extracellular environment, leaving both the host and pathogen alive. Little is known about the mechanism behind nonlytic exocytosis, but there is evidence that both the fungal and host cells contribute to the process. In this study, we used time-lapse movies of C. neoformans-infected macrophages to delineate the kinetics and quantitative aspects of nonlytic exocytosis. We analyzed approximately 800 macrophages containing intracellular C. neoformans and identified 163 nonlytic exocytosis events that were further characterized into three subcategories: type I (complete emptying of macrophage), type II (partial emptying of macrophage), and type III (cell-to-cell transfer). The majority of type I and II events occurred after several hours of intracellular residence, whereas type III events occurred significantly (P < 0.001) earlier in the course of macrophage infection. Our results show that nonlytic exocytosis is a morphologically and temporally diverse process that occurs relatively rapidly in the course of macrophage infection. PMID:24595144

Aimed at the characteristics of spontaneous combustion gas such as a variety of gases, lou limit of detection, and critical requirement of safety, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis is presented to analyze characteristic gases of spontaneous combustion In this paper, analysis method is introduced at first by combing characteristics of absorption spectra of analyte and analysis requirement. Parameter setting method, sample preparation, feature variable abstract and analysis model building are taken into consideration. The methods of sample preparation, feature abstraction and analysis model are introduced in detail. And then, eleven kinds of gases were tested with Tensor 27 spectrometer. CH4, C2H6, C3H8, iC4H10, nC4H10, C2 H4, C3 H6, C3 H2, SF6, CO and CO2 were included. The optical path length was 10 cm while the spectra resolution was set as 1 cm(-1). The testing results show that the detection limit of all analytes is less than 2 x 10(-6). All the detection limits fit the measurement requirement of spontaneous combustion gas, which means that FTIR may be an ideal instrument and the analysis method used in this paper is competent for spontaneous combustion gas measurement on line. PMID:22097853

The brightness measured by fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy specifies the average stoichiometry of a labeled protein in a sample. Here we extended brightness analysis, which has been mainly applied in eukaryotic cells, to prokaryotic cells with E. coli serving as a model system. The small size of the E. coli cell introduces unique challenges for applying brightness analysis that are addressed in this work. Photobleaching leads to a depletion of fluorophores and a reduction of the brightness of protein complexes. In addition, the E. coli cell and the point spread function of the instrument only partially overlap, which influences intensity fluctuations. To address these challenges we developed MSQ analysis, which is based on the mean Q-value of segmented photon count data, and combined it with the analysis of axial scans through the E. coli cell. The MSQ method recovers brightness, concentration, and diffusion time of soluble proteins in E. coli. We applied MSQ to measure the brightness of EGFP in E. coli and compared it to solution measurements. We further used MSQ analysis to determine the oligomeric state of nuclear transport factor 2 labeled with EGFP expressed in E. coli cells. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of quantifying the stoichiometry of proteins by brightness analysis in a prokaryotic cell. PMID:26099032

Immuno-fluorescence technique can qualitatively determine certain nuclear translocation, of which NF-κB/ p65 implicates the activation of NF-κB signal pathways. Immuno-fluorescence analysis software with independent property rights is able to quantitatively analyze dynamic location of NF-κB/p65 by computing relative fluorescence units in nuclei and cytoplasm. We verified the quantitativeanalysis by Western Blot. When we applied the software to analysis of nuclear translocation in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced (0. 5 h, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h) primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) , we found that nuclear translocation peak showed up at 2h as with calculated Western blot verification results, indicating that the inventive immuno-fluorescence analysis software can be applied to the quantitativeanalysis of immuno-fluorescence. PMID:26485997

In the study of the dynamics and kinematics of the human body a wide variety of technologies has been developed. Photogrammetric techniques are well documented and are known to provide reliable positional data from recorded images. Often these techniques are used in conjunction with cinematography and videography for analysis of planar motion, and to a lesser degree three-dimensional motion. Cinematography has been the most widely used medium for movement analysis. Excessive operating costs and the lag time required for film development, coupled with recent advances in video technology, have allowed video based motion analysis systems to emerge as a cost effective method of collecting and analyzing human movement. The Anthropometric and Biomechanics Lab at Johnson Space Center utilizes the video based Ariel Performance Analysis System (APAS) to develop data on shirtsleeved and space-suited human performance in order to plan efficient on-orbit intravehicular and extravehicular activities. APAS is a fully integrated system of hardware and software for biomechanics and the analysis of human performance and generalized motion measurement. Major components of the complete system include the video system, the AT compatible computer, and the proprietary software.

Introduction: Based on previous metabolism studies carried out in patas monkeys, we hypothesized that urinary 3′-hydroxynorcotinine could be a specific biomarker for uptake and metabolism of the carcinogen N′-nitrosonornicotine in people who use tobacco products. Methods: We developed a method for quantitation of 3′-hydroxynorcotinine in human urine. [Pyrrolidinone-13C4]3′-hydroxynorcotinine was added to urine as an internal standard, the samples were treated with β-glucuronidase, partially purified by solid supported liquid extraction and quantified by liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. Results: The method was accurate (average accuracy = 102%) and precise (coefficient of variation = 5.6%) in the range of measurement. 3′-Hydroxynorcotinine was detected in 48 urine samples from smokers (mean 393±287 pmol/ml urine) and 12 samples from individuals who had stopped smoking and were using the nicotine patch (mean 658±491 pmol/ml urine), but not in any of 10 samples from nonsmokers. Conclusions: Since the amounts of 3′-hydroxynorcotinine found in smokers’ urine were approximately 50 times greater than the anticipated daily dose of N′-nitrosonornicotine, we concluded that it is a metabolite of nicotine or one of its metabolites, comprising perhaps 1% of nicotine intake in smokers. Therefore, it would not be suitable as a specific biomarker for uptake and metabolism of N′-nitrosonornicotine. Since 3′-hydroxynorcotinine has never been previously reported as a constituent of human urine, further studies are required to determine its source and mode of formation. PMID:25324430

Background/Aims Nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) has been used to examine morphological and functional microcirculation changes in connective tissue diseases. It has been demonstrated that NFC patterns reflect abnormal microvascular dynamics, which may play a role in fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome. The aim of this study was to determine NFC patterns in FM, and their association with clinical features of FM. Methods A total of 67 patients with FM, and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, were included. Nailfold capillary patterns were quantitatively analyzed using computerized NFC. The parameters of interest were as follows: number of capillaries within the central 3 mm, deletion score, apical limb width, capillary width, and capillary dimension. Capillary dimension was determined by calculating the number of capillaries using the Adobe Photoshop version 7.0. Results FM patients had a lower number of capillaries and higher deletion scores on NFC compared to healthy controls (17.3 ± 1.7 vs. 21.8 ± 2.9, p < 0.05; 2.2 ± 0.9 vs. 0.7 ± 0.6, p < 0.05, respectively). Both apical limb width (µm) and capillary width (µm) were significantly decreased in FM patients (1.1 ± 0.2 vs. 3.7 ± 0.6; 5.4 ± 0.5 vs. 7.5 ± 1.4, respectively), indicating that FM patients have abnormally decreased digital capillary diameter and density. Interestingly, there was no difference in capillary dimension between the two groups, suggesting that the length or tortuosity of capillaries in FM patients is increased to compensate for diminished microcirculation. Conclusions FM patients had altered capillary density and diameter in the digits. Diminished microcirculation on NFC may alter capillary density and increase tortuosity. PMID:26161020

We present the first quantitative characterization of electrodermal activity (EDA) patterns on the wrists of healthy adults during sleep using dry electrodes. We compare the new results on the wrist to the prior findings on palmar or finger EDA by characterizing data measured from 80 nights of sleep consisting of 9 nights of wrist and palm EDA from 9 healthy adults sleeping at home, 56 nights of wrist and palm EDA from one healthy adult sleeping at home, and 15 nights of wrist EDA from 15 healthy adults in a sleep laboratory, with the latter compared to concurrent polysomnography. While high frequency patterns of EDA called "storms" were identified by eye in the 1960s, we systematically compare thresholds for automatically detecting EDA peaks and establish criteria for EDA storms. We found that more than 80% of the EDA peaks occurred in non-REM sleep, specifically during slow-wave sleep (SWS) and non-REM stage 2 sleep (NREM2). Also, EDA amplitude is higher in SWS than in other sleep stages. Longer EDA storms were more likely to occur in the first two quarters of sleep and during SWS and NREM2. We also found from the home studies (65 nights) that EDA levels were higher and the skin conductance peaks were larger and more frequent when measured on the wrist than when measured on the palm. These EDA high frequency peaks and high amplitude were sometimes associated with higher skin temperature, but more work is needed looking at neurological and other EDA elicitors in order to elucidate their complete behavior. PMID:25286449

Identification of genomic regions associated with a phenotype of interest is a fundamental step toward solving questions in biology and improving industrial research. Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) combined with high-throughput sequencing is a technique to efficiently identify these genomic regions associated with a trait of interest. However, distinguishing true from spuriously linked genomic regions and accurately delineating the genomic positions of these truly linked regions requires the use of complex statistical models currently implemented in software tools that are generally difficult to operate for non-expert users. To facilitate the exploration and analysis of data generated by bulked segregant analysis, we present EXPLoRA-web, a web service wrapped around our previously published algorithm EXPLoRA, which exploits linkage disequilibrium to increase the power and accuracy of quantitative trait loci identification in BSA analysis. EXPLoRA-web provides a user friendly interface that enables easy data upload and parallel processing of different parameter configurations. Results are provided graphically and as BED file and/or text file and the input is expected in widely used formats, enabling straightforward BSA data analysis. The web server is available at http://bioinformatics.intec.ugent.be/explora-web/. PMID:27105844

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the assay of medroxyprogesterone acetate and for the detection and determination of related steroids present as impurities in the drug. The method was compared with the normal-phase technique of the USP XX and was also applied to the analysis of tablets and injectable suspensions. PMID:16867645

This paper reviews some of the many mathematical modeling and statistical data analysis problems that arise in environmental studies. It makes no claim to be comprehensive nor truly up-to-date. It will appear as a chapter in a book on ecotoxicology to be published by CRC Press, probably in 1995. Workshops leading to the book creation were sponsored by The Conte Foundation.

The procedures and coding schema that have been developed by the Research on the Improvement Process (RIP) Program for analyzing the frequency of interventions and for examining their internal characteristics are described. In two in-depth ethnographic studies of implementation efforts, interventions were the focus of data collection and analysis.…

When it comes to multiple linear regression analysis (MLR), it is common for social and behavioral science researchers to rely predominately on beta weights when evaluating how predictors contribute to a regression model. Presenting an underutilized statistical technique, this article describes how organizational researchers can use commonality…

Explains that multiple-choice tests such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) provide useful instruments to probe the distribution of student difficulties on a large scale. Introduces a new method, concentration analysis, to measure how students' responses on multiple-choice questions are distributed. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/YDS)

Multiple-choice tests such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) provide useful instruments to probe the distribution of student difficulties on a large scale. However, traditional analysis often relies solely on scores (number of students giving the correct answer). This ignores what can be significant and important information: the distribution…

Several methods for the analysis of remotely sensed reflectance data are compared, including empirical methods and scattering theories, both of which are important for solving remote sensing problems. The concept of the photon mean path length and the implications for use in modeling reflectance spectra are presented.-from Authors

Concerted efforts in genomic studies examining RNA transcription and DNA methylation patterns have revealed profound insights in prognostic ovarian cancer subtypes. On the other hand, abundant histology slides have been generated to date, yet their uses remain very limited and largely qualitative. Our goal is to develop automated histology analysis as an alternative subtyping technology for ovarian cancer that is cost-efficient and does not rely on DNA quality. We developed an automated system for scoring primary tumour sections of 91 late-stage ovarian cancer to identify single cells. We demonstrated high accuracy of our system based on expert pathologists' scores (cancer = 97.1%, stromal = 89.1%) as well as compared to immunohistochemistry scoring (correlation = 0.87). The percentage of stromal cells in all cells is significantly associated with poor overall survival after controlling for clinical parameters including debulking status and age (multivariate analysis p = 0.0021, HR = 2.54, CI = 1.40-4.60) and progression-free survival (multivariate analysis p = 0.022, HR = 1.75, CI = 1.09-2.82). We demonstrate how automated image analysis enables objective quantification of microenvironmental composition of ovarian tumours. Our analysis reveals a strong effect of the tumour microenvironment on ovarian cancer progression and highlights the potential of therapeutic interventions that target the stromal compartment or cancer-stroma signalling in the stroma-high, late-stage ovarian cancer subset. PMID:26573438

The diagnostic performance of automatic analysis of the exercise electrocardiogram in detecting ischaemic heart disease was studied in 147 patients with angiographically documented coronary disease. The results were compared with the results of visual analysis of the same recordings. Using a bicycle ergometer we tried to reach at least 90 per cent of the predicted maximal heart rate of the patient. Two bipolar thoracic leads (CM5, CC5) were used. In the visual analysis the criterion of the so-called ischaemic ST segment was applied. For the automatic analysis the population was divided into a learning group (N=87) and a testing group (N=60). In the learning group first critical values were computed for different ST measurements that provided optimal separation between patients with (CAG POS.) and without (CAG. NEG.) significant coronary stenoses as revealed by coronary arteriography. These critical values were kept unchanged when applied to the testing group. With respect to the visual method an increase of the sensitivity by 0-45 and 0-36 was obtained by the automatic analysis in the learning and testing group, respectively. The best separation between CAG. POS. and CAG. NEG. group was reached using a criterion consisting of a linear combination of the slope of the initial part of the ST segment and the ST depression; the sensitivity being 0-70 and 0-60, respectively, in the learning and testing group. Using a criterion based on the area between the baseline and the ST segment (the SX integral) these values were 0-42 and 0-49, respectively. All specificities were kept to at least 0-90. PMID:319813

Isotopic labeling of cysteine residues with acrylamide was previously utilized for relative quantitation of proteins by MALDI-TOF. Here, we explored and compared the application of deuterated and (13)C isotopes of acrylamide for quantitative proteomic analysis using LC-MS/MS and high-resolution FTICR mass spectrometry. The method was applied to human serum samples that were immunodepleted of abundant proteins. Our results show reliable quantitation of proteins across an abundance range that spans 5 orders of magnitude based on ion intensities and known protein concentration in plasma. The use of (13)C isotope of acrylamide had a slightly greater advantage relative to deuterated acrylamide, because of shifts in elution of deuterated acrylamide relative to its corresponding nondeuterated compound by reversed-phase chromatography. Overall, the use of acrylamide for differentially labeling intact proteins in complex mixtures, in combination with LC-MS/MS provides a robust method for quantitativeanalysis of complex proteomes. PMID:16889424

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) levels and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with ovarian cancer using a branched DNA (bDNA) technique, and to determine the value of quantitative cf-DNA detection in assisting with the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Serum specimens were collected from 36 patients with ovarian cancer on days 1, 3 and 7 following surgery, and additional serum samples were also collected from 22 benign ovarian tumor cases, and 19 healthy, non-cancerous ovaries. bDNA techniques were used to detect serum cf-DNA concentrations. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 18.0. The cf-DNA levels were significantly increased in the ovarian cancer group compared with those of the benign ovarian tumor group and healthy ovarian group (P<0.01). Furthermore, cf-DNA levels were significantly increased in stage III and IV ovarian cancer compared with those of stages I and II (P<0.01). In addition, cf-DNA levels were significantly increased on the first day post-surgery (P<0.01), and subsequently demonstrated a gradual decrease. In the ovarian cancer group, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of cf-DNA and the sensitivity were 0.917 and 88.9%, respectively, which was higher than those of cancer antigen 125 (0.724, 75%) and human epididymis protein 4 (0.743, 80.6%). There was a correlation between the levels of serum cf-DNA and the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer in the patients evaluated. bDNA techniques possessed higher sensitivity and specificity than other methods for the detection of serum cf-DNA in patients exhibiting ovarian cancer, and bDNA techniques are more useful for detecting cf-DNA than other factors. Thus, the present study demonstrated the potential value for the use of bDNA as an adjuvant diagnostic method for ovarian cancer. PMID:26788153

The radiance produced by artificial light is a major source of nighttime over-illumination. It can, however, be treated experimentally using ground-based and satellite data. These two types of data complement each other and together have a high information content. For instance, the satellite data enable upward light emissions to be normalized, and this in turn allows skyglow levels at the ground to be modelled under cloudy or overcast conditions. Excessive night lighting imposes an unacceptable burden on nature, humans and professional astronomy. For this reason, there is a pressing need to determine the total amount of downwelling diffuse radiation. Undoubtedly, cloudy periods can cause a significant increase in skyglow as a result of amplification owing to diffuse reflection from clouds. While it is recognized that the amplification factor (AF) varies with cloud cover, the effects of different types of clouds, of atmospheric turbidity and of the geometrical relationships between the positions of an individual observer, the cloud layer, and the light source are in general poorly known. In this paper the AF is quantitatively analysed considering different aerosol optical depths (AODs), urban layout sizes and cloud types with specific albedos and altitudes. The computational results show that the AF peaks near the edges of a city rather than at its centre. In addition, the AF appears to be a decreasing function of AOD, which is particularly important when modelling the skyglow in regions with apparent temporal or seasonal variability of atmospheric turbidity. The findings in this paper will be useful to those designing engineering applications or modelling light pollution, as well as to astronomers and environmental scientists who aim to predict the amplification of skyglow caused by clouds. In addition, the semi-analytical formulae can be used to estimate the AF levels, especially in densely populated metropolitan regions for which detailed computations may be CPU

Although unpublicized, the use of quantitative safety goals and probabilistic reliability analysis for licensing nuclear reactors has become a reality in the United Kingdom. This conclusion results from an examination of the process leading to the licensing of the Sizewell B PWR in England. The licensing process for this reactor has substantial implications for nuclear safety standards in Britain, and is examined in the context of the growing trend towards quantitative safety goals in the United States. PMID:3685540

The nuclear distribution of eu- and heterochromatin is nonrandom, heterogeneous, and dynamic, which is mirrored by specific spatiotemporal arrangements of histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Here we describe a semiautomated method for the analysis of histone PTM localization patterns within the mammalian nucleus using confocal laser scanning microscope images of fixed, immunofluorescence stained cells as data source. The ImageJ-based process includes the segmentation of the nucleus, furthermore measurements of total fluorescence intensities, the heterogeneity of the staining, and the frequency of the brightest pixels in the region of interest (ROI). In the presented image analysis pipeline, the perinucleolar chromatin is selected as primary ROI, and the nuclear periphery as secondary ROI. PMID:27576710

Multifunctional polymer nanoconjugates containing multiple components show great promise in cancer therapy, but in most cases complete analysis of each component is difficult. Polymalic acid (PMLA) based nanoconjugates have demonstrated successful brain and breast cancer treatment. They consist of multiple components including targeting antibodies, Morpholino antisense oligonucleotides (AONs), and endosome escape moieties. The component analysis of PMLA nanoconjugates is extremely difficult using conventional spectrometry and HPLC method. Taking advantage of the nature of polyester of PMLA, which can be cleaved by ammonium hydroxide, we describe a method to analyze the content of antibody and AON within nanoconjugates simultaneously using SEC-HPLC by selectively cleaving the PMLA backbone. The selected cleavage conditions only degrade PMLA without affecting the integrity and biological activity of the antibody. Although the amount of antibody could also be determined using the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method, our selective cleavage method gives more reliable results and is more powerful. Our approach provides a new direction for the component analysis of polymer nanoconjugates and nanoparticles. PMID:25894227

Intracellular calcium signals are studied by laser-scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. The required spatio-temporal resolution makes description of calcium signals difficult because of the low signal-to-noise ratio. We designed a new procedure of calcium spike analysis based on their fitting with a model. The accuracy and precision of calcium spike description were tested on synthetic datasets generated either with randomly varied spike parameters and Gaussian noise of constant amplitude, or with constant spike parameters and Gaussian noise of various amplitudes. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate the performance of spike fitting algorithms. The procedure was optimized for reliable estimation of calcium spike parameters and for dismissal of false events. A new algorithm was introduced that corrects the acquisition time of pixels in line-scan images that is in error due to sequential acquisition of individual pixels along the space coordinate. New software was developed in Matlab and provided for general use. It allows interactive dissection of temporal profiles of calcium spikes from x-t images, their fitting with predefined function(s) and acceptance of results on statistical grounds, thus allowing efficient analysis and reliable description of calcium signaling in cardiac myocytes down to the in situ function of ryanodine receptors. PMID:23741324

There is a critical need for tools and methodologies capable of managing aquatic systems within heavily impacted watersheds. Current efforts often fall short as a result of an inability to quantify and predict complex cumulative effects of current and future land use scenarios at relevant spatial scales. The goal of this manuscript is to provide methods for conducting a targeted watershed assessment that enables resource managers to produce landscape-based cumulative effects models for use within a scenario analysis management framework. Sites are first selected for inclusion within the watershed assessment by identifying sites that fall along independent gradients and combinations of known stressors. Field and laboratory techniques are then used to obtain data on the physical, chemical, and biological effects of multiple land use activities. Multiple linear regression analysis is then used to produce landscape-based cumulative effects models for predicting aquatic conditions. Lastly, methods for incorporating cumulative effects models within a scenario analysis framework for guiding management and regulatory decisions (e.g., permitting and mitigation) within actively developing watersheds are discussed and demonstrated for 2 sub-watersheds within the mountaintop mining region of central Appalachia. The watershed assessment and management approach provided herein enables resource managers to facilitate economic and development activity while protecting aquatic resources and producing opportunity for net ecological benefits through targeted remediation. PMID:27501287

The purpose of the research was to work out the qualitative and quantitativeanalysis of phases in DSS in as-received state and after thermal aging. For quantitative purposes, SEM observations, EDS analyses and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) methods were employed. Qualitative analysis of phases was performed by two methods: EBSD and classical quantitative metallography. A juxtaposition of different etchants for the revealing of microstructure and brief review of sample preparation methods for EBSD studies were presented. Different ways of sample preparation were tested and based on these results a detailed methodology of DSS phase analysis was developed including: surface finishing, selective etching methods and image acquisition. The advantages and disadvantages of applied methods were pointed out and compared the accuracy of the analysis phase performed by both methods.

In biofluids (e.g., blood plasma) nanoparticles are readily embedded in layers of proteins that can affect their biological activity and biocompatibility. Herein, we report a study on the interactions between human plasma proteins and nanoparticles with a controlled systematic variation of properties using stable isotope labeling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based quantitative proteomics. Novel protocol has been developed to simplify the isolation of nanoparticle bound proteins and improve the reproducibility. Plasma proteins associated with polystyrene nanoparticles with three different surface chemistries and two sizes as well as for four different exposure times (for a total of 24 different samples) were identified and quantified by LC-MS analysis. Quantitative comparison of relative protein abundances were achieved by spiking an 18 O-labeled 'universal reference' into each individually processed unlabeled sample as an internal standard, enabling simultaneous application of both label-free and isotopic labeling quantitation across the sample set. Clustering analysis of the quantitative proteomics data resulted in distinctive pattern that classifies the nanoparticles based on their surface properties and size. In addition, data on the temporal study indicated that the stable protein 'corona' that was isolated for the quantitativeanalysis appeared to be formed in less than 5 minutes. The comprehensive results obtained herein using quantitative proteomics have potential implications towards predicting nanoparticle biocompatibility.

A study conducted shows that if digital photography is combined with regular thin-layer chromatography (TLC), it could perform highly improved qualitative analysis as well as make accurate quantitativeanalysis possible for a much lower cost than commercial equipment. The findings suggest that digitally enhanced TLC (DE-TLC) is low-cost and easy…

Quantitativeanalysis of carbohydrates is a fundamental analytical tool used in many aspects of biology and chemistry. We have adapted a technique developed by Mathews et al. using an inexpensive scanner and open-source image analysis software to quantify amylase activity using both the breakdown of starch and the appearance of glucose. Breakdown…

The NSF-funded Integrating Data Analysis (IDA) Project undertaken by the American Sociological Association (ASA) and the Social Science Data Analysis Network sought to close the quantitative literacy gap for sociology majors. Working with twelve departments, the project built on lessons learned from ASA's Minority Opportunities through School…

This quantitativeanalysis explored the intrinsic and extrinsic turnover factors of relational database support specialists. Two hundred and nine relational database support specialists were surveyed for this research. The research was conducted based on Hackman and Oldham's (1980) Job Diagnostic Survey. Regression analysis and a univariate ANOVA…

Quantitative content analysis of a body of research not only helps budding researchers understand the culture, language, and expectations of scholarship, it helps identify deficiencies and inform policy and practice. Because of these benefits, an analysis of a census of 980 Mercer University MEd, EdS, and doctoral theses was conducted. Each thesis…

This paper discusses similarities between the mathematization of operant behavior and the early history of the most mathematical of sciences—physics. Galileo explored the properties of motion without dealing with the causes of motion, focusing on changes in motion. Newton's dynamics were concerned with the action of forces as causes of change. Skinner's rationale for using rate to describe behavior derived from an interest in changes in rate. Reinforcement has played the role of force in the dynamics of behavior. Behavioral momentum and maximization have received mathematical formulations in behavior analysis. Yet to be worked out are the relations between molar and molecular formulations of behavioral theory. PMID:22478028

Electroporation is the formation of reversible hydrophilic pores in the cell membrane under electric fields. Severity of electroporation is challenging to measure and quantify. An image analysis method is developed, and the initial results with a fabricated microfluidic device are reported. The microfluidic device contains integrated microchannels and coplanar interdigitated electrodes allowing low-voltage operation and low-power consumption. Noninvasive human buccal cell samples were specifically stained, and electroporation was induced. Captured image sequences were analyzed for pixel color ranges to quantify the severity of electroporation. The method can detect even a minor occurrence of electroporation and can perform comparative studies.

Rice is susceptible to cold stress and with a future of climatic instability we will be unable to produce enough rice to satisfy increasing demand. A thorough understanding of the molecular responses to thermal stress is imperative for engineering cultivars, which have greater resistance to low temperature stress. In this study we investigated the proteomic response of rice seedlings to 48, 72 and 96 h of cold stress at 12-14°C. The use of both label-free and iTRAQ approaches in the analysis of global protein expression enabled us to assess the complementarity of the two techniques for use in plant proteomics. The approaches yielded a similar biological response to cold stress despite a disparity in proteins identified. The label-free approach identified 236 cold-responsive proteins compared to 85 in iTRAQ results, with only 24 proteins in common. Functional analysis revealed differential expression of proteins involved in transport, photosynthesis, generation of precursor metabolites and energy; and, more specifically, histones and vitamin B biosynthetic proteins were observed to be affected by cold stress. PMID:21433000

Medical imaging is of particular interest in the field of translational myology, as extant literature describes the utilization of a wide variety of techniques to non-invasively recapitulate and quantity various internal and external tissue morphologies. In the clinical context, medical imaging remains a vital tool for diagnostics and investigative assessment. This review outlines the results from several investigations on the use of computed tomography (CT) and image analysis techniques to assess muscle conditions and degenerative process due to aging or pathological conditions. Herein, we detail the acquisition of spiral CT images and the use of advanced image analysis tools to characterize muscles in 2D and 3D. Results from these studies recapitulate changes in tissue composition within muscles, as visualized by the association of tissue types to specified Hounsfield Unit (HU) values for fat, loose connective tissue or atrophic muscle, and normal muscle, including fascia and tendon. We show how results from these analyses can be presented as both average HU values and compositions with respect to total muscle volumes, demonstrating the reliability of these tools to monitor, assess and characterize muscle degeneration. PMID:27478562

Fall protection harnesses are commonly used to reduce the number and severity of injuries. Increasing the efficiency of harness design requires the size and shape variation of the user population to be assessed as detailed and as accurately as possible. In light of the unsatisfactory performance of traditional anthropometry with respect to such assessments, we propose the use of 3D laser surface scans of whole bodies and the statistical analysis of elliptic Fourier coefficients. Ninety-eight male and female adults were scanned. Key features of each torso were extracted as a 3D curve along front, back and the thighs. A 3D extension of Elliptic Fourier analysis4 was used to quantify their shape through multivariate statistics. Shape change as a function of size (allometry) was predicted by regressing the coefficients onto stature, weight and hip circumference. Upper and lower limits of torso shape variation were determined and can be used to redefine the design of the harness that will fit most individual body shapes. Observed allometric changes are used for adjustments to the harness shape in each size. Finally, the estimated outline data were used as templates for a free-form deformation of the complete torso surface using NURBS models (non-uniform rational B-splines).

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common disease in the southern provinces of China with a poor prognosis. To better understand the pathogenesis of NPC and identify proteins involved in NPC carcinogenesis, we applied iTRAQ coupled with two-dimensional LC-MS/MS to compare the proteome profiles of NPC tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. We identified 54 proteins with differential expression in NPC and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. The differentially expressed proteins were further determined by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In addition, the up-regulation of HSPB1, NPM1 and NCL were determined by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray. Functionally, we found that siRNA mediated knockdown of NPM1 inhibited the migration and invasion of human NPC CNE1 cell line. In summary, this is the first study on proteome analysis of NPC tissues using an iTRAQ method, and we identified many new differentially expressed proteins which are potential targets for the diagnosis and therapy of NPC. PMID:25648846

The study aims to develop a unified method to determine seven phenolic acids (neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-caffeoylquinic acid, caffeic acid, isochlorogenic acid B, isochlorogenic acid A and isochlorogenic acid C) contained in honeysuckle flower that is the monarch drug of all the eight Yinqiao Jiedu serial preparations using quantitativeanalysis of multi-components by single-marker (QAMS). Firstly, chlorogenic acid was used as a reference to get the average relative correction factors (RCFs) of the other phenolic acids in ratios to the reference; columns and instruments from different companies were used to validate the durability of the achieved RCFs in different levels of standard solutions; and honeysuckle flower extract was used as the reference substance to fix the positions of chromatographic peaks. Secondly, the contents of seven phenolic acids in eight different Yinqiao Jiedu serial preparations samples were calculated based on the RCFs durability. Finally, the quantitative results were compared between QAMS and the external standard (ES) method. The results have showed that the durability of the achieved RCFs is good (RSD during 0.80% - 2.56%), and there are no differences between the quantitative results of QAMS and ES (the relative average deviation < 0.93%). So it can be successfully used to the quantitative control of honeysuckle flower principally prescribed in Yinqiao Jiedu serial preparations. PMID:26223132

Inexpensive broadband pyranometers with silicon photodiode detectors have a non-uniform spectral response over the spectral range of 300-1100 nm. The response region includes only about 70% to 75% of the total energy in the terrestrial solar spectral distribution from 300 nm to 4000 nm. The solar spectrum constantly changes with solar position and atmospheric conditions. Relative spectral distributions of diffuse hemispherical irradiance sky radiation and total global hemispherical irradiance are drastically different. This analysis convolves a typical photodiode response with SMARTS 2.9.5 spectral model spectra for different sites and atmospheric conditions. Differences in solar component spectra lead to differences on the order of 2% in global hemispherical and 5% or more in diffuse hemispherical irradiances from silicon radiometers. The result is that errors of more than 7% can occur in the computation of direct normal irradiance from global hemispherical irradiance and diffuse hemispherical irradiance using these radiometers.

X-ray radiographic examination of the bone fracture healing process is a widely used method in the treatment and management of patients. Medical devices made of metallic alloys reportedly produce considerable artifacts that make the interpretation of radiographs difficult. Fiber reinforced polymer composite materials have been proposed to replace metallic alloys in certain medical devices because of their radiolucency, light weight, and tailorable mechanical properties. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a comparable radiographic analysis of different fiber reinforced polymer composites that are considered suitable for biomedical applications. Composite materials investigated consist of glass, aramid (Kevlar-29), and carbon reinforcement fibers, and epoxy and polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) matrices. The total mass attenuation coefficient of each material was measured using clinical X-rays (50 kev). The carbon fiber reinforced composites were found to be more radiolucent than the glass and kevlar fiber reinforced composites. PMID:11261603

Food ingestion is one of the defining behaviours of all animals, but its quantification and analysis remain challenging. This is especially the case for feeding behaviour in small, genetically tractable animals such as Drosophila melanogaster. Here, we present a method based on capacitive measurements, which allows the detailed, automated and high-throughput quantification of feeding behaviour. Using this method, we were able to measure the volume ingested in single sips of an individual, and monitor the absorption of food with high temporal resolution. We demonstrate that flies ingest food by rhythmically extending their proboscis with a frequency that is not modulated by the internal state of the animal. Instead, hunger and satiety homeostatically modulate the microstructure of feeding. These results highlight similarities of food intake regulation between insects, rodents, and humans, pointing to a common strategy in how the nervous systems of different animals control food intake. PMID:25087594

The use of new materials in knee arthroplasty demands a way in which to accurately quantify wear in retrieved components. Methods such as damage scoring, coordinate measurement, and in vivo wear analysis have been used in the past. The limitations in these methods illustrate a need for a different methodology that can accurately quantify wear, which is relatively easy to perform and uses a minimal amount of expensive equipment. Off-the-shelf digital photogrammetry represents a potentially quick and easy alternative to what is readily available. Eighty tibial inserts were visually examined for front and backside wear and digitally photographed in the presence of two calibrated reference fields. All images were segmented (via manual and automated algorithms) using Adobe Photoshop and National Institute of Health ImageJ. Finally, wear was determined using ImageJ and Rhinoceros software. The absolute accuracy of the method and repeatability/reproducibility by different observers were measured in order to determine the uncertainty of wear measurements. To determine if variation in wear measurements was due to implant design, 35 implants of the three most prevalent designs were subjected to retrieval analysis. The overall accuracy of area measurements was 97.8%. The error in automated segmentation was found to be significantly lower than that of manual segmentation. The photogrammetry method was found to be reasonably accurate and repeatable in measuring 2-D areas and applicable to determining wear. There was no significant variation in uncertainty detected among different implant designs. Photogrammetry has a broad range of applicability since it is size- and design-independent. A minimal amount of off-the-shelf equipment is needed for the procedure and no proprietary knowledge of the implant is needed. PMID:16649169

Prostate carcinoma is the most common cancer in men with few, quantifiable, biomarkers. Prostate cancer biomarker discovery has been hampered due to subjective analysis of protein expression in tissue sections. An unbiased, quantitativeimmunohistochemical approach provided here, for the diagnosis and stratification of prostate cancer could overcome this problem. Antibodies against four proteins BTF3, HINT1, NDRG1 and ODC1 were used in a prostate tissue array (> 500 individual tissue cores from 82 patients, 41 case pairs matched with one patient in each pair had biochemical recurrence). Protein expression, quantified in an unbiased manner using an automated analysis protocol in ImageJ software, was increased in malignant vs non-malignant prostate (by 2-2.5 fold, p<0.0001). Operating characteristics indicate sensitivity in the range of 0.68 to 0.74; combination of markers in a logistic regression model demonstrates further improvement in diagnostic power. Triple-labeled immunofluorescence (BTF3, HINT1 and NDRG1) in tissue array showed a significant (p<0.02) change in co-localization coefficients for BTF3 and NDRG1 co-expression in biochemical relapse vs non-relapse cancer epithelium. BTF3, HINT1, NDRG1 and ODC1 could be developed as epithelial specific biomarkers for tissue based diagnosis and stratification of prostate cancer. PMID:24386364

Background Development of tailored treatment based on immunohistochemical profiles (IPs) of tumors for cancers of unknown primary is needed. Methodology/Principal Findings We developed an algorithm based on primary known adenocarcinoma for testing sensitivity and specificity. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 71 patients of unfavorable subsets of unknown primary adenocarcinoma were obtained. We examined 15 molecular markers using the algorithm incorporating these IPs and classified the tumours into 9 subsets based on the primary tumour site. The sensitivity and specificity of this algorithm were 80.3% and 97.6%, respectively. Apparent primary sites were lung in 17 patients, digestive organs in 13, gynecological organs in 9, prostate in 7, liver or kidney in 6, breast in 4, urothelial organ in 2, biliary tract and pancreatic profile in none, and unclassified in 13. The response rate to chemotherapy was highest for the gynecological IPs. Patients with gynecological or lung cancer IPs had longer median progression-free survival than those with others: 11.2 months for gynecological IPs (p<0.001) and 6.8 months for lung IPs (p = 0.05). Lung, digestive, prostate, and gynecological profiles were associated with significantly longer median survival time than the other profiles. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the IPs were independent prognostic factors for survival. Conclusions/Significance The IPs identified in this study can be used to further stratify patient prognosis for unfavorable subsets of unknown primary adenocarcinoma. PMID:22299055

Thanks to what has been achieved by the Fourier transform, infrared spectroscopy can now become a state of the art device in the quality control laboratories if we consider its precision and the gain in time it ensures compared to traditional analysis methods such as HPLC chromatography. Moreover, the increasing number of new mathematical regression methods such as Partial Least Square ( PLS) regression allows the multicomponent quantitativeanalysis in mixtures. Nevertheless, the efficiency of infrared spectrometry as a quantitativeanalysis method often depends on the choice of an adequate presentation for the sample. In this document, we shall demonstrate several techniques such as diffuse reflectance and Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) which can be according to the various physical states of the mixtures. The quantitativeanalysis of real samples from the food industry enables us to estimate its precision. For instance, the analysis of the three main components (glucose, fructose and maltose) in the glucose syrups can be done (using ATR) with a precision in the region of 3% whereas the time required to obtain an analysis report is about 5 minutes. Finally multicomponent quantitativeanalysis is quite feasable by mid-IR spectroscopy.

A new quantitative cysteinyl-peptide enrichment technology (QCET) was developed to achieve higher efficiency, greater dynamic range, and higher throughput in quantitative proteomics that use stable-isotope labeling techniques combined with high resolution liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS). This approach involves {sup 18}O labeling of tryptic peptides, high efficiency enrichment of cysteine-containing peptides, and confident protein identification and quantification using the accurate mass and time tag strategy. Proteome profiling of naive and in vitro-differentiated human mammary epithelial cells using QCET resulted in the identification and quantification of 603 proteins in a single LC-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance MS analysis. Advantages of this technology include: (1) a simple, highly efficient method for enriching cysteinyl-peptides; (2) a high throughput strategy suitable for extensive proteome analysis; and (3) improved labeling efficiency for better quantitative measurements. This technology enhances both the functional analysis of biological systems and the detection of potential clinical biomarkers.

Statistical shape analysis has been an important area of research with applications in biology, anatomy, neuroscience, agriculture, paleontology, etc. Unfortunately, the proposed methods are rarely quantitatively evaluated, and as shown in recent studies, when they are evaluated, significant discrepancies exist in their outputs. In this work, we concentrate on the problem of finding the consistent location of deformation between two population of shapes. We propose a new shape analysis algorithm along with a framework to perform a quantitative evaluation of its performance. Specifically, the algorithm constructs a Signed Poisson Map (SPoM) by solving two Poisson equations on the volumetric shapes of arbitrary topology, and statistical analysis is then carried out on the SPoMs. The method is quantitatively evaluated on synthetic shapes and applied on real shape data sets in brain structures. PMID:26874288

A simple low-cost digital film-analysis system using videodensitometry was developed to quantitate autoradiograms. It is based on a TV-film analysis system coupled to a minicomputer. Digital sampling of transmitted light intensities through the autoradiogram is performed with 8-bit gray levels according to the selected array size (128 X 128 to 1024 X 1024). The performance characteristics of the system provide sufficient stability, uniformity, linearity, and intensity response for use in quantitativeanalysis. Digital images of the autoradiograms are converted to radioactivity content, pixel by pixel, using step-wedge standards. This type of low-cost system can be installed on conventional mini-computers commonly used in modern nuclear medical facilities. Quantitative digital autoradiography can play an important role, with applications stretching from dosimetry calculations of radiopharmaceuticals to metabolic studies in conjunction with positron-emission tomography.

In material science and bio-medical domains the quantity and quality of microscopy images is rapidly increasing and there is a great need to automatically detect, delineate and quantify particles, grains, cells, neurons and other functional "objects" within these images. These are challenging problems for image processing because of the variability in object appearance that inevitably arises in real world image acquisition and analysis. One of the most promising (and practical) ways to address these challenges is interactive image segmentation. These algorithms are designed to incorporate input from a human operator to tailor the segmentation method to the image at hand. Interactive image segmentation is now a key tool in a wide range of applications in microscopy and elsewhere. Historically, interactive image segmentation algorithms have tailored segmentation on an image-by-image basis, and information derived from operator input is not transferred between images. But recently there has been increasing interest to use machine learning in segmentation to provide interactive tools that accumulate and learn from the operator input over longer periods of time. These new learning algorithms reduce the need for operator input over time, and can potentially provide a more dynamic balance between customization and automation for different applications. This paper reviews the state of the art in this area, provides a unified view of these algorithms, and compares the segmentation performance of various design choices.

Lesions observed in chronic chagasic cardiopathy frequently produce electrocardiographic alterations and affect cardiac function. Through a computerized morphometrical analysis we quantified the areas occupied by cardiac muscle, connective and adipose tissues in the right atrium of dogs experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. All of the infected dogs showed chronic myocarditis with variable reduction levels of cardiac muscle, fibrosis and adipose tissue replacement. In the atrial myocardium of dogs infected with Be78 and Be62 cardiac muscle represented 34 and 50%, fibrosis 28 and 32% and adipose tissue 38 and 18%, respectively. The fibrosis observed was both diffuse and focal and mostly intrafascicular, either partially or completely interrupting the path of muscle bundles. Such histological alterations probably contributed to the appearance of electrocardiographic disturbances verified in 10 out 11 dogs which are also common in human chronic chagasic cardiopathy. Fibrosis was the most important microscopic occurrence found since it produces rearrangements of collagen fibers in relation to myocardiocytes which causes changes in anatomical physiognomy and mechanical behavior of the myocardium. These abnormalities can contribute to the appearance of cardiac malfunction, arrythmias and congestive cardiac insufficiency as observed in two of the analyzed dogs. Strain Be78 caused destruction of atrial cardiac muscle higher than that induced by strain Be62. PMID:12436168

The automated identification and quantification of illicit materials using Raman spectroscopy is of significant importance for law enforcement agencies. This paper explores the use of Machine Learning (ML) methods in comparison with standard statistical regression techniques for developing automated identification methods. In this work, the ML task is broken into two sub-tasks, data reduction and prediction. In well-conditioned data, the number of samples should be much larger than the number of attributes per sample, to limit the degrees of freedom in predictive models. In this spectroscopy data, the opposite is normally true. Predictive models based on such data have a high number of degrees of freedom, which increases the risk of models over-fitting to the sample data and having poor predictive power. In the work described here, an approach to data reduction based on Genetic Algorithms is described. For the prediction sub-task, the objective is to estimate the concentration of a component in a mixture, based on its Raman spectrum and the known concentrations of previously seen mixtures. Here, Neural Networks and k-Nearest Neighbours are used for prediction. Preliminary results are presented for the problem of estimating the concentration of cocaine in solid mixtures, and compared with previously published results in which statistical analysis of the same dataset was performed. Finally, this paper demonstrates how more accurate results may be achieved by using an ensemble of prediction techniques.

Providing information about single virus particles has for a long time been mainly the domain of electron microscopy. More recently, technologies have been developed—or adapted from other fields, such as nanotechnology—to allow for the real-time quantification of physical virion particles, while supplying additional information such as particle diameter concomitantly. These technologies have progressed to the stage of commercialization increasing the speed of viral titer measurements from hours to minutes, thus providing a significant advantage for many aspects of virology research and biotechnology applications. Additional advantages lie in the broad spectrum of virus species that may be measured and the possibility to determine the ratio of infectious to total particles. A series of disadvantages remain associated with these technologies, such as a low specificity for viral particles. In this review we will discuss these technologies by comparing four systems for real-time single virus particle analysis and quantification. - Highlights: • We introduce four methods for virus particle-based quantification of viruses. • They allow for quantification of a wide range of samples in under an hour time. • The additional measurement of size and zeta potential is possible for some.

The Funtools project arose out of conversations with astronomers about the decline in their software development efforts over the past decade. A stated reason for this decline is that it takes too much effort to master one of the existing FITS libraries simply in order to write a few analysis programs. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that astronomers typically develop new programs only occasionally, and the long interval between coding efforts often necessitates re-learning the FITS interfaces. We therefore set ourselves the goal of developing a minimal buy-in FITS library for researchers who are occasional (but serious) coders. In this case, "minimal buy-in" meant "easy to learn, easy to use, and easy to re-learn next month". Based on conversations with astronomers interested in writing code, we concluded that this goal could be achieved by emphasizing two essential capabilities. The first was the ability to write FITS programs without knowing much about FITS, i.e., without having to deal with the arcane rules for generating a properly formatted FITS file. The second was to support the use of already-familiar C/Unix facilities, especially C structs and Unix stdio. Taken together, these two capabilities would allow researchers to leverage their existing programming expertise while minimizing the need to learn new and complex coding rules.

The study of coronary arteries has evolved from examining gross anatomy and morphology to scrutinizing micro-anatomy and cellular composition. Technological advances such as high- resolution digital microscopes and high precision cutting devices have allowed examination of coronary artery morphology and pathology at micron resolution. We have developed a software toolkit to analyze histological sections. In particular, we are currently engaged in examining normal coronary arteries in order to provide the foundation for study of remodeled tissue. The first of two coronary arteries was stained for elastin and collagen. The second coronary artery was sectioned and stained for cellular nuclei and smooth muscle. High resolution light microscopy was used to image the sections. Segmentation was accomplished initially with slice- to-slice thresholding algorithms. These segmentation techniques choose optimal threshold values by modeling the tissue as one or more distributions. Morphology and image statistics were used to further differentiate the thresholded data into different tissue categories therefore refine the results of the segmentation. Specificity/sensitivity analysis suggests that automatic segmentation can be very effective. For both tissue samples, greater than 90% specificity was achieved. Summed voxel projection and maximum intensity projection appear to be effective 3-D visualization tools. Shading methods also provide useful visualization, however it is important to incorporate combined 2-D and 3-D displays. Surface rendering techniques (e.g. color mapping) can be used for visualizing parametric data. Preliminary results are promising, but continued development of algorithms is needed.

Large-scale data resulting from users' online interactions provide the ultimate source of information to study emergent social phenomena on the Web. From individual actions of users to observable collective behaviors, different mechanisms involving emotions expressed in the posted text play a role. Here we combine approaches of statistical physics with machine-learning methods of text analysis to study the emergence of emotional behavior among Web users. Mapping the high-resolution data from digg.com onto bipartite networks of users and their comments onto posted stories, we identify user communities centered around certain popular posts and determine emotional contents of the related comments by the emotion classifier developed for this type of text. Applied over different time periods, this framework reveals strong correlations between the excess of negative emotions and the evolution of communities. We observe avalanches of emotional comments exhibiting significant self-organized critical behavior and temporal correlations. To explore the robustness of these critical states, we design a network-automaton model on realistic network connections and several control parameters, which can be inferred from the dataset. Dissemination of emotions by a small fraction of very active users appears to critically tune the collective states.

The auxetic foams first produced by Lakes have been modelled in a variety of ways, each model trying to reproduce some observed feature of the microscale of the foams. Such features include bent or broken ribs or inverted angles between ribs. These models can reproduce the Poisson's ratio or Poisson's function of auxetic foam if the model parameters are carefully chosen. However these model parameters may not actually reflect the internal structure of the foams. A big problem is that measurement of parameters such as lengths and angles is not straightforward within a 3-d sample. In this work a sample of auxetic foam has been imaged by 3-d X-ray computed tomography. The resulting image is translated to a form that emphasises the geometrical structure of connected ribs. This connected rib data are suitably analysed to describe both the microstructural construction of auxetic foams and the statistical spread of structure, that is, the heterogeneity of an auxetic foam. From the analysis of the microstructure, observations are made about the requirements for microstructural models and comparisons made to previous existing models. From the statistical data, measures of heterogeneity are made that will help with future modelling that includes the heterogeneous aspect of auxetic foams.

Heavy ion TOF ERD combined with energy detection (E-TOF-ERD) is a powerful analytical technique taking advantage of the following facts: the scattering cross section is usually very high ({approximately}10{sup {minus}21} cm{sup 2}/sr) compared to regular He RBS ({approximately}10{sup {minus}25} cm{sup 2}/sr), contrary to what happens with the energy resolution in ordinary surface solid barrier detectors, time resolution is almost independent of the atomic mass of the detected element, and the detection in coincidence of time and energy signals allows for the mass separation of overlapping signals with the same energy (or time of flight). Measurements on several oxides have been performed with the E-TOF-ERD set up at Sandia National Laboratories using an incident beam of 10-15 MeV Au. The information on the composition of the sample is obtained from the time domain spectrum, which is converted to energy domain, and then, using existing software codes, the analysis is performed. During the quantification of the results, they have found problems related to the interaction of the beam with the sample and to the tabulated values of the stopping powers for heavy ions.

A rapid, simple method based on graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry is described for the direct determination of arsenic in coal fly ash. Solid samples were directly introduced into the atomizer without preliminary treatment. The direct analysis method was not always free of spectral matrix interference, but the stabilization of arsenic by adding palladium nitrate (chemical modifier) and the optimization of the parameters in the furnace program (temperature, rate of temperature increase, hold time, and argon gas flow) gave good results for the total arsenic determination. The optimal furnace program was determined by analyzing different concentrations of a reference material (NIST1633b), which showed the best linearity for calibration. The optimized parameters for the furnace programs for the ashing and atomization steps were as follows: temperatures of 500–1200 and 2150°C, heating rates of 100 and 500°C s−1, hold times of 90 and 7 s, and medium then maximum and medium argon gas flows, respectively. The calibration plots were linear with a correlation coefficient of 0.9699. This method was validated using arsenic-containing raw coal samples in accordance with the requirements of the mass balance calculation; the distribution rate of As in the fly ashes ranged from 101 to 119%. PMID:23251836

Fibrin plays a vital structural role in thrombus integrity. Thus, the ability to assess fibrin architecture has potential to provide insight into thrombosis and thrombolysis. Fibrin has an anisotropic molecular structure, which enables it to be seen with polarized light. Therefore, we aimed to determine if automated polarized light microscopy methods of quantifying two structural parameters; fibrin fiber bundle orientation and fibrin's optical retardation (OR: a measure of molecular anisotropy) could be used to assess thrombi. To compare fibrin fiber bundle orientation we analyzed picrosirius red-stained sections obtained from clots formed: (A) in vitro, (B) in injured and stenotic coronary arteries, and (C) in surgically created aortic aneurysms (n = 6 for each group). To assess potential changes in OR, we examined fibrin in picrosirius red-stained clots formed after ischemic preconditioning (10 minutes ischemia + 10 minutes reflow; a circumstance shown to enhance lysability) and in control clots (n = 8 each group). The degree of fibrin organization differed significantly according to the location of clot formation; fibrin was most aligned in the aneurysms and least aligned in vitro whereas fibrin in the coronary clots had an intermediate organization. The OR of fibrin in the clots formed after ischemic preconditioning was lower than that in controls (2.9 ± 0.5 nm versus 5.4 ± 1.0 nm, P < 0.05). The automated polarized light analysis methods not only enabled fibrin architecture to be assessed, but also revealed structural differences in clots formed under different circumstances. PMID:19054699

Sixteen nest and 19 brood sites of American woodcock (Philohela minoI) were examined in northern lower Michigan between 15 April and 15 June 1974 to determine habitat structure associated with these sites. Woodcock hens utilized young, second-growth forest stands which were similar in species composition for both nesting and brood rearing. A multi-varIate discriminant function analysis revealed a significant (P< 0.05) difference, however, in habitat structure. Nest habitat was characterized by lower tree density (2176 trees/ha) and basal area (8.6 m2/ha), by being close to forest openings (7 m) and by being situated on dry, relatively well drained sites. In contrast, woodcock broods were located in sites that had nearly twice the tree density (3934 trees/hal and basal area (16.5 m2/ha), was located over twice as far from forest openings (18 m) and generally occurred on damp sites, near (8 m) standing water. Importance of the habitat features to the species and possible management implications are discussed.

In this paper, we present image processing methods for quantitative study of how the bone marrow microenvironment changes (characterized by altered vascular structure and hematopoietic cell distribution) caused by diseases or various factors. We develop algorithms that automatically segment vascular structures and hematopoietic cells in 3-D microscopy images, perform quantitativeanalysis of the properties of the segmented vascular structures and cells, and examine how such properties change. In processing images, we apply local thresholding to segment vessels, and add post-processing steps to deal with imaging artifacts. We propose an improved watershed algorithm that relies on both intensity and shape information and can separate multiple overlapping cells better than common watershed methods. We then quantitatively compute various features of the vascular structures and hematopoietic cells, such as the branches and sizes of vessels and the distribution of cells. In analyzing vascular properties, we provide algorithms for pruning fake vessel segments and branches based on vessel skeletons. Our algorithms can segment vascular structures and hematopoietic cells with good quality. We use our methods to quantitatively examine the changes in the bone marrow microenvironment caused by the deletion of Notch pathway. Our quantitativeanalysis reveals property changes in samples with deleted Notch pathway. Our tool is useful for biologists to quantitatively measure changes in the bone marrow microenvironment, for developing possible therapeutic strategies to help the bone marrow microenvironment recovery.

We examined whether a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-like peptide exists in the central nervous system (CNS) of the kuruma prawn, Marsupenaeus japonicus, by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (rpHPLC) combined with time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) analysis and by immunohistochemistry. The displacement curve obtained for serially diluted extracts of the kuruma prawn brain paralleled the chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) standard curve obtained by cGnRH-II TR-FIA using the anti-cGnRH-II antibody, which cross-reacts not only with cGnRH-II but also with lamprey GnRH-II (lGnRH-II) and octopus GnRH (octGnRH). Extracts of kuruma prawn brains and eyestalks showed a similar retention time to synthetic lGnRH-II and octGnRH in rpHPLC combined with TR-FIA analysis. Using this antibody, we detected GnRH-like-immunoreactive (ir) cell bodies in the anterior-most part of the supraesophageal ganglion (brain), the protocerebrum. Furthermore, GnRH-like-ir fibers were observed in the protocerebrum and deutocerebrum. In the eyestalk, GnRH-like-ir cell bodies were detected in the medulla interna, and GnRH-like-ir fibers were distributed in the medulla interna, medulla externa, and lamina ganglionalis. In the thoracic ganglion, GnRH-like-ir fibers, but not GnRH-like-ir cell bodies, were detected. No GnRH-like-ir cell bodies or fibers were detected in the abdominal ganglion or ovary. Thus, we have shown the existence and distribution of a GnRH-like peptide in the CNS of the kuruma prawn. PMID:19968471

ATP is the dominant energy source in animals for mechanical and electrical work (for example, muscle contraction or neuronal firing). For chemical work, there is an equally important role for NADPH, which powers redox defence and reductive biosynthesis. The most direct route to produce NADPH from glucose is the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, with malic enzyme sometimes also important. Although the relative contribution of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation to ATP production has been extensively analysed, similar analysis of NADPH metabolism has been lacking. Here we demonstrate the ability to directly track, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, the passage of deuterium from labelled substrates into NADPH, and combine this approach with carbon labelling and mathematical modelling to measure NADPH fluxes. In proliferating cells, the largest contributor to cytosolic NADPH is the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway. Surprisingly, a nearly comparable contribution comes from serine-driven one-carbon metabolism, in which oxidation of methylene tetrahydrofolate to 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate is coupled to reduction of NADP+ to NADPH. Moreover, tracing of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism revealed complete oxidation of 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate to make NADPH. As folate metabolism has not previously been considered an NADPH producer, confirmation of its functional significance was undertaken through knockdown of methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (MTHFD) genes. Depletion of either the cytosolic or mitochondrial MTHFD isozyme resulted in decreased cellular NADPH/NADP+ and reduced/oxidized glutathione ratios (GSH/GSSG) and increased cell sensitivity to oxidative stress. Thus, although the importance of folate metabolism for proliferating cells has been long recognized and attributed to its function of producing one-carbon units for nucleic acid synthesis, another crucial function of this pathway is generating reducing power.

We propose a general ultrasound (US) texture-analysis and machine-learning framework for detecting the presence of disease that is suitable for clinical application across clinicians, disease types, devices, and operators. Its stages are image selection, image filtering, ROI selection, feature parameterization, and classification. Each stage is modular and can be replaced with alternate methods. Thus, this framework is adaptable to a wide range of tasks. Our two preliminary clinical targets are hepatic steatosis and adenomyosis diagnosis. For steatosis, we collected US images from 288 patients and their pathology-determined values of steatosis (%) from biopsies. Two radiologists independently reviewed all images and identified the region of interest (ROI) most representative of the hepatic echotexture for each patient. To parameterize the images into comparable quantities, we filter the US images at multiple scales for various texture responses. For each response, we collect a histogram of pixel features within the ROI, and parameterize it as a Gaussian function using its mean, standard deviation, kurtosis, and skew to create a 36-feature vector. Our algorithm uses a support vector machine (SVM) for classification. Using a threshold of 10%, we achieved 72.81% overall accuracy, 76.18% sensitivity, and 65.96% specificity in identifying steatosis with leave-ten-out cross-validation (p<0.0001). Extending this framework to adenomyosis, we identified 38 patients with MR-confirmed findings of adenomyosis and previous US studies and 50 controls. A single rater picked the best US-image and ROI for each case. Using the same processing pipeline, we obtained 76.14% accuracy, 86.00% sensitivity, and 63.16% specificity with leave-one-out cross-validation (p<0.0001).

Two kinds of synthetic biomaterial, porous tricalcium phosphate (PTCP) and magnetic porous tricalcium phosphate (MPTCP) ceramic granules were implanted in rat femur. In the period of 4 months, the assessment of serial histological sections, scanning electron microphotographs and quantitativeanalysis of bone formation in the sections showed that both ceramics are biocompatible and degradable in vivo. More new bone formation occurred in the MPTCP group. Endochondral ossification was seen in both groups. The quantitativeanalysis in this study is reliable, and may be suitable to the similar experimental models. PMID:1288979

The morphological evolution due to coarsening is analyzed for two distinctive types of microstructure. First, the feasibility of characterizing spatial correlations of interfacial curvature in topologically complex structures is demonstrated with the analysis of bicontinuous two-phase mixtures produced using phase field modeling. For structures produced with both conserved and nonconserved dynamics, new characteristic length scales are identified. In the nonconserved case, despite the local evolution law governing interfacial motion, long-range correlations develop that lead to a characteristic length scale associated with the distance between high curvature tunnels. In the conserved case the diffusional dynamics leads to a length scale that is related to correlations and anticorrelations between regions of curvature of opposite sign. Positive correlations due to this length scale can be measured out to seven times the characteristic length of the system. Spatial correlations are also compared for symmetric and asymmetric mixtures produced with conserved dynamics. In addition, the microstructure of directionally solidified and isothermally coarsened Pb-Sn samples are examined at various coarsening times. The samples, composed of Pb-69.1wt%Sn, have an overall volume fraction of 22% solid which is not uniformly distributed through the sample but clustered into regions of approximately 37% solid separated by empty eutectic regions. The morphology of the dendrites, both in the dense regions and at the edge of the eutectic spaces is analyzed using three-dimensional reconstructions, Interface Shape Distributions and Interface Normal Distributions. These methods are used to track the evolution of the structures from being dominated by secondary and tertiary arms in the plane perpendicular to the solidification direction to predominance of the primary stalks running in the solidification direction. Finally, the method of characterizing spatial correlations introduced above

Liposarcomas are extremely rare in the skin. When they involve the skin, it is usually by upward spread from a subcutaneous or deeper seated liposarcoma. Very rarely, liposarcoma metastasize to the skin or arise as a primary dermal lesion. We describe 2 cases of atypical lipomatous tumor "well-differentiated liposarcoma" located in dermis. Both presented clinically as a skin tag. The neoplasms arose in a 56-year-old female and a 69-year-old male patient. Both lesions were treated by excision and reexcision. In addition to classical morphology of atypical lipomatous tumor with evidence of lipoblasts and atypical adipocytes, immunohistochemistry with nuclear murine double-minute type 2 protein and cyclin-dependent kinase-4 expression as well as fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showing an amplification of murine double-minute type 2 protein and cyclin-dependent kinase-4 were helpful to establish the diagnosis. None of the cases recurred after surgical treatment. These 2 cases show the importance of not to misdiagnose lesions which clinically may appear to be benign. PMID:21358383

Standards in quantitative fluorescent imaging are vaguely recognized and receive insufficient discussion. A common best practice is to acquire images at Nyquist rate, where highest signal frequency is assumed to be the highest obtainable resolution of the imaging system. However, this particular standard is set to insure that all obtainable information is being collected. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate that for quantification purposes, these correctly set acquisition rates can be redundant; instead, linear size of the objects of interest can be used to calculate sufficient information density in the image. We describe optimized image acquisition parameters and unbiased methods for processing and quantification of medium-size cellular structures. Sections of rabbit aortas were immunohistochemically stained to identify and quantify sympathetic varicosities, >2 μm in diameter. Images were processed to reduce background noise and segment objects using free, open-access software. Calculations of the optimal sampling rate for the experiment were based on the size of the objects of interest. The effect of differing sampling rates and processing techniques on object quantification was demonstrated. Oversampling led to a substantial increase in file size, whereas undersampling hindered reliable quantification. Quantification of raw and incorrectly processed images generated false structures, misrepresenting the underlying data. The current study emphasizes the importance of defining image-acquisition parameters based on the structure(s) of interest. The proposed postacquisition processing steps effectively removed background and noise, allowed for reliable quantification, and eliminated user bias. This customizable, reliable method for background subtraction and structure quantification provides a reproducible tool for researchers across biologic disciplines. PMID:27182204

Standards in quantitative fluorescent imaging are vaguely recognized and receive insufficient discussion. A common best practice is to acquire images at Nyquist rate, where highest signal frequency is assumed to be the highest obtainable resolution of the imaging system. However, this particular standard is set to insure that all obtainable information is being collected. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate that for quantification purposes, these correctly set acquisition rates can be redundant; instead, linear size of the objects of interest can be used to calculate sufficient information density in the image. We describe optimized image acquisition parameters and unbiased methods for processing and quantification of medium-size cellular structures. Sections of rabbit aortas were immunohistochemically stained to identify and quantify sympathetic varicosities, >2 μm in diameter. Images were processed to reduce background noise and segment objects using free, open-access software. Calculations of the optimal sampling rate for the experiment were based on the size of the objects of interest. The effect of differing sampling rates and processing techniques on object quantification was demonstrated. Oversampling led to a substantial increase in file size, whereas undersampling hindered reliable quantification. Quantification of raw and incorrectly processed images generated false structures, misrepresenting the underlying data. The current study emphasizes the importance of defining image-acquisition parameters based on the structure(s) of interest. The proposed postacquisition processing steps effectively removed background and noise, allowed for reliable quantification, and eliminated user bias. This customizable, reliable method for background subtraction and structure quantification provides a reproducible tool for researchers across biologic disciplines. PMID:27182204

A method has been developed for rapidly quantitating the cholesterol concentration of normal and certain variant lipoproteins in a large number of patients (over 240 in one week). The method employs a microcomputer interfaced to the vertical autoprofiler (VAP) described earlier (Chung et al. 1981. J. Lipid Res. 22: 1003-1014). Software developed to accomplish rapid on-line analysis of the VAP signal uses peak shapes and positions derived from prior VAP analysis of isolated authentic lipoproteins HDL, LDL, and VLDL to quantitate these species in a VAP profile. Variant lipoproteins VHDL (a species with density greater than that of HDL(3)), MDL (a species, most likely Lp(a), with density intermediate between that of HDL and LDL), and IDL are subsequently quantitated by a method combining difference calculations with curve shapes. The procedure has been validated qualitatively by negative stain electron microscopy, gradient gel electrophoresis, strip electrophoresis, chemical analysis of the lipids, radioimmunoassay of the apolipoproteins, and measurement of the density of the peak centers. It has been validated quantitatively by comparison with Lipid Research Clinic methodology for HDL-, LDL-, and VLDL-cholesterol, and for MDL- and IDL-cholesterol by comparison of the amounts of MDL or IDL predicted to be present by the method with that known to be present following standard addition to whole plasma. These validations show that the method is a rapid and accurate technique of lipoprotein analysis suitable for the routine screening of patients for abnormal amounts of normal or variant lipoproteins, as well as for use as a research tool for quantitation of changes in cholesterol content of six or seven different plasma lipoprotein fractions.-Cone, J. T., J. P. Segrest, B. H. Chung, J. B. Ragland, S. M. Sabesin, and A. Glasscock. Computerized rapid high resolution quantitativeanalysis of plasma lipoproteins based upon single vertical spin centrifugation. PMID:7130860

In order to study, for example, the influence of pharmaceuticals or pathogens on different cell types under identical measurement conditions and to analyze interactions between different cellular specimens a minimally-invasive quantitative observation of mixed cell cultures is of particular interest. Quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) provides high resolution detection of optical path length changes that is suitable for stain-free minimally-invasive live cell analysis. Due to low light intensities for object illumination, QPM minimizes the interaction with the sample and is in particular suitable for long term time-lapse investigations, e.g., for the detection of cell morphology alterations due to drugs and toxins. Furthermore, QPM has been demonstrated to be a versatile tool for the quantification of cellular growth, the extraction morphological parameters and cell motility. We studied the feasibility of QPM for the analysis of mixed cell cultures. It was explored if quantitative phase images provide sufficient information to distinguish between different cell types and to extract cell specific parameters. For the experiments quantitative phase imaging with digital holographic microscopy (DHM) was utilized. Mixed cell cultures with different types of human pancreatic tumor cells were observed with quantitative DHM phase contrast up to 35 h. The obtained series of quantitative phase images were evaluated by adapted algorithms for image segmentation. From the segmented images the cellular dry mass and the mean cell thickness were calculated and used in the further analysis as parameters to quantify the reliability the measurement principle. The obtained results demonstrate that it is possible to characterize the growth of cell types with different morphologies in a mixed cell culture separately by consideration of specimen size and cell thickness in the evaluation of quantitative DHM phase images.

Glycan structure alterations during cancer regulate disease progression and represent clinical biomarkers. The study determined the degree to which changes in glycosyl transferase activities during cancer can be related to aberrant cell-surface tumor associated carbohydrate structures (TACA). To this end, changes in sialyltransferase (sialylT), fucosyltransferase (fucT) and galactosyltransferase (galT) activity were measured in normal and tumor tissue using a miniaturized enzyme activity assay and synthetic glycoconjugates bearing terminal LacNAc Type-I (Galβ1,3GlcNAc), LacNAc Type-II (Galβ1,4GlcNAc), and mucin core-1/Type-III (Galβ1,3GalNAc) structures. These data were related to TACA using tissue microarrays containing 115 breast and 26 colon cancer specimen. The results show that primary human breast and colon tumors, but not adjacent normal tissue, express elevated β1,3 galT and α2,3sialylT activity that can form α2,3sialylated Type-III glycans (Siaα2,3Galβ1,3GalNAc). Prostate tumors did not exhibit such elevated enzymatic activities. α1,3/4fucT activity was higher in breast, but not colon tissue. The enzymology based prediction of enhanced α2,3sialylated Type-III structures in breast tumors was verified using histochemical analysis of tissue sections and tissue microarrays. Here, the binding of two markers that recognize Galβ1,3GalNAc (peanut lectin and mAb A78-G/A7) was elevated in breast tumor, but not normal control, only upon sialidase treatment. These antigens were also upregulated in colon tumors though to a lesser extent. α2,3sialylated Type-III expression correlated inversely with patient HER2 expression and breast metastatic potential. Overall, enzymology measurements of glycoT activity predict glycan structure changes during cancer. High expression of the α2,3sialylated T-antigen O-glycans occur in breast tumors. A transformation from linear core-1 glycan to other epitopes may accompany metastasis. PMID:25142811

The aim of this study is to evaluate histopathological findings induced by Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and molsidomine (MOL) on the kidney of bile duct ligated rats. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats, each weighing 125 to 140 g, were included in the study. Extent of histological glomerular injury scores (GIS), arterial injury scores (AIS), and tubulointerstitial injury scores (TIS) in each animal were graded. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), tenascin, lectin (Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1), and vimentin were used to determine extent of the injury. The cholestasis was evidenced by a significant increase in the levels of serum total bilirubin in BDL rats (p < 0.01). Malondialdeyde MDA levels increased by the bile duct ligation (BDL) to 12.10 +/- 0.45. This value was significantly higher than the other groups (p < 0.01). Changes in the BDL kidney were marked at 7 days after surgery. GIS were observed to have the highest score, especially at juxtamedullary region in BDL/L-NAME rats, and AIS were also the highest score in this region. These observations were lower in BDL/MOL rats. There is a correlation between GIS and AIS scores (r = .2, p < .01). TIS revealed that BDL/L-NAME rats were significantly more damage than rats in the other groups (panalysis of cell injury based on a histological

Quantitative computed tomography-based finite-element analysis (QCT/FEA) has become increasingly popular in an attempt to understand and possibly reduce vertebral fracture risk. It is known that scanning acquisition settings affect Hounsfield units (HU) of the CT voxels. Material properties assignments in QCT/FEA, relating HU to Young's modulus, are performed by applying empirical equations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of QCT scanning protocols on predicted stiffness values from finite-element models. One fresh frozen cadaveric torso and a QCT calibration phantom were scanned six times varying voltage and current and reconstructed to obtain a total of 12 sets of images. Five vertebrae from the torso were experimentally tested to obtain stiffness values. QCT/FEA models of the five vertebrae were developed for the 12 image data resulting in a total of 60 models. Predicted stiffness was compared to the experimental values. The highest percent difference in stiffness was approximately 480% (80 kVp, 110 mAs, U70), while the lowest outcome was ∼1% (80 kVp, 110 mAs, U30). There was a clear distinction between reconstruction kernels in predicted outcomes, whereas voltage did not present a clear influence on results. The potential of QCT/FEA as an improvement to conventional fracture risk prediction tools is well established. However, it is important to establish research protocols that can lead to results that can be translated to the clinical setting. PMID:27428281

We report the quantification of immunohistochemical findings for a diagnosis of dementia in autopsy cases among older decedents. Autopsy cases were selected with the following requirements: >65yo; no head injuries, thermal injuries, or heat stroke; no intracranial lesions; and within 48h of death. Among cases that met all requirements, 10 had a clinical diagnosis of dementia were included in dementia group. Non-dementia group consisted of 38 cases without any record of dementia. To compare these groups, immunohistochemically, beta-amyloid, tau protein, gephyrin, and IL-33 were examined in five regions. Quantitativeanalysis was performed by collecting with image data analyzed using analysis software. Image data on tau-immunopositive neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and beta-amyloid-positive senile plaques (SP) were photographed. Criteria for dementia were made by counting and measuring NFT and SP from image data using software. Differences in SP and NFT were effective for discriminating between the two groups. These criteria may reveal the presence and progression of dementia. Total of tau-positive NFT in Ammon's horn (AH) may be useful for diagnosing dementia. When the total is more than 41 in approximately 6mm(2) of AH, the possibility of dementia is considered. Total of beta-amyloid-positive SP in the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) may be useful for diagnosing dementia. When the total in approximately 5mm(2) of PHG is more than 47, the possibility of dementia is considered. Immunohistochemical staining may be more useful for obtaining image data for quantification than conventional staining techniques, such as Bielschowsky-Hirano's silver staining. PMID:27591545

At present in hematology there are no quantitative estimates of such important for the cell classification parameters: cell form and nuclear form. Due to the absence of the correlation between morphological parameters and parameters measured by hemoanalyzers, both flow cytometers and computer recognition systems, do not provide the completeness of the clinical blood analysis. Analysis of the spatial-frequency spectra of blood samples (smears and liquid probes) permit the estimate the forms quantitatively. On the results of theoretical and experimental researches carried out an algorithm of the form quantitative estimation by means of SFS parameters has been created. The criteria of the quality of these estimates have been proposed. A test bench based on the coherent optical and digital processors. The received results could be applied for the automated classification of ether normal or pathological blood cells in the standard blood smears.

Fluorescent whitening agents (FWAS) are widely used in the emulsion paint for brightening effect. In spite of extensive use of FWAS, there are no reports about the measurement method of FWAS in emulsion paint. In this work, a very simple quantitative approach is proposed. Based on the digital grayscale images of three-dimensional fluorescence spectra and two-dimensional fluorescence images, several wavelet moment invariants are calculated and used to establish the standard models for the quantitativeanalysis. The influence factors of storage time and exposure time are also studied here. Measurement results indicated the feasibility and precision of using this method for quantitativeanalysis of FWAS. The research results also provides a reliable basis for the application of FWAS in emulsion paint. Keywords: fluorescent whitening agents, three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, fluorescence image, wavelet moment invariants

BACKGROUND: The identification of the function of all genes that contribute to specific biological processes and complex traits is one of the major challenges in the postgenomic era. One approach is to employ forward genetic screens in genetically tractable model organisms. In Drosophila melanogaster, P element-mediated insertional mutagenesis is a versatile tool for the dissection of molecular pathways, and there is an ongoing effort to tag every gene with a P element insertion. However, the vast majority of P element insertion lines are viable and fertile as homozygotes and do not exhibit obvious phenotypic defects, perhaps because of the tendency for P elements to insert 5' of transcription units. Quantitative genetic analysis of subtle effects of P element mutations that have been induced in an isogenic background may be a highly efficient method for functional genome annotation. RESULTS: Here, we have tested the efficacy of this strategy by assessing the extent to which screening for quantitative effects of P elements on sensory bristle number can identify genes affecting neural development. We find that such quantitative screens uncover an unusually large number of genes that are known to function in neural development, as well as genes with yet uncharacterized effects on neural development, and novel loci. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings establish the use of quantitative trait analysis for functional genome annotation through forward genetics. Similar analyses of quantitative effects of P element insertions will facilitate our understanding of the genes affecting many other complex traits in Drosophila.

This paper reports on the first part of a two-part quantitativeanalysis of volume 1-40 (1969-2008) of the "Journal of Librarianship and Information Science" (formerly the "Journal of Librarianship"). It provides an overview of the current state of LIS research journal publishing in the UK; a review of the publication and printing history of…

Objective: To assess quantity and quality of nutrition and food safety information in science textbooks prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India for grades I through X. Design: Content analysis. Methods: A coding scheme was developed for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Two investigators independently coded the…

Describes a FORTRAN IV program written to supplement a laboratory exercise dealing with quantitative x-ray diffraction analysis of mixtures of polycrystalline phases in an introductory course in x-ray diffraction. Gives an example of the use of the program and compares calculated and observed calibration data. (Author/GS)

Describes the procedure for making a quantitativeanalysis of organic compounds suitable for secondary school chemistry classes. Using the Schoniger procedure, the organic compound, such as PVC, is decomposed in a conical flask with oxygen. The products are absorbed in a suitable liquid and analyzed by titration. (JR)

American government textbooks signal to students the kinds of topics that are important and, by omission, the kinds of topics that are not important to the discipline of political science. This article examines portrayals of women in introductory American politics textbooks through a quantitative content analysis of 22 widely used texts. We find…

The vacuum bag (VB) dust was analyzed by mold specific quantitative PCR. These results were compared to the analysis survey calculated for each of the homes. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the ERMI values in the homes of the NC asthmatic children was 16.4 (6.77), compa...

Reports on a quantitative categorical analysis of metadata elements in the Dublin Core, VRA (Visual Resource Association) Core, REACH (Record Export for Art and Cultural Heritage), and EAD (Encoded Archival Description) metadata schemas, all of which can be used for organizing and describing images. Introduces a new schema comparison methodology…

Method allows qualitative and quantitativeanalysis of mixtures of partially deuterated compounds. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy determines location and amount of deuterium in organic compounds but not fully deuterated compounds. Mass spectroscopy can detect fully deuterated species but not the location.

This report provides a preliminary quantitativeanalysis to assess whether buildings constructed according to the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 would result in energy savings compared with buildings constructed to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010.

This article describes and discusses issues related to research design and data analysis in the mixing of qualitative and quantitative methods. It is increasingly desirable to use multiple methods in research, but questions arise as to how best to design and analyze the data generated by mixed methods projects. I offer a conceptualization for such…

Despite their technological savvy, most students entering university lack the necessary computer skills to succeed in a quantitativeanalysis course, in which they are often expected to input, analyze, and plot results of experiments without any previous formal education in Microsoft Excel or similar programs. This lack of formal education results…

Utilizing the critical race framework of intersectionality, this research reexamines the Chicana/o educational pipeline through a quantitative intersectional analysis. This approach disaggregates data along the intersection of race, class, gender, and citizenship status to provide a detailed portrait of the educational trajectory of Mexican-origin…

Research since 1980 on gender and learning styles of students over age 18 is reviewed for commonalities in theory and research methodology. In addition, a quantitative meta-analysis was undertaken on two measures of learning style and study behavior to determine the direction and magnitude of gender differences in various samples. (Author/MSE)

A general science experiment for high school chemistry students might serve as an excellent review of the concepts of solution preparation, solubility, pH, and qualitative and quantitativeanalysis of a common food product. The students could learn to use safe laboratory techniques, collect and analyze data using proper scientific methodology and…

Diverse strategies for marking GCSE examinations have been identified, ranging from simple automatic judgements to complex cognitive operations requiring considerable expertise. However, little is known about patterns of strategy usage or how such information could be utilised by examiners. We conducted a quantitativeanalysis of previous verbal…

Described is a new gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS) system and method for quantitativeanalysis of reactive chemical compounds. All components of such a GC/MS system external to the oven of the gas chromatograph are programmably temperature controlled to operate at a volatilization temperature specific to the compound(s) sought to be separated and measured.

Recent research highlights the paradoxical importance of students' being able to check their understanding with teachers and of teachers' constraining student participation. Using quantitative discourse analysis, this paper examines third graders' discursive strategies in initiating such checks and teachers' strategies in constraining them. The…

Observations were summarized which may have clinical application. These were obtained from a quantitativeanalysis of wall motion that was used to detect both hypokinesis and tardokinesis in left ventricular cineangiograms. The method was based on statistical comparisons with normal values for regional wall motion derived from the cineangiograms of patients who were found not to have heart disease.

Accident analysis involves the use of both quantitative and qualitative data in decision-making. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the synthesis of relevant quantitative and qualitative evidence for accident analysis and for planning a large and diverse portfolio of highway investment projects. The proposed analysis and visualization techniques along with traditional mathematical modeling serve as an aid to planners, engineers, and the public in comparing the benefits of current and proposed improvement projects. The analysis uses data on crash rates, average daily traffic, cost estimates from highway agency databases, and project portfolios for regions and localities. It also utilizes up to two motivations out of seven that are outlined in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Three case studies demonstrate the risk-based approach to accident analysis for short- and long-range transportation plans. The approach is adaptable to other topics in accident analysis and prevention that involve the use of quantitative and qualitative evidence, risk analysis, and multi-criteria decision-making for project portfolio selection. PMID:16730627

Electroencephalogram reactivity (EEG-R) is a positive predictive factor for assessing outcomes in comatose patients. Most studies assess the prognostic value of EEG-R utilizing visual analysis; however, this method is prone to subjectivity. We sought to categorize EEG-R with a quantitative approach. We retrospectively studied consecutive comatose patients who had an EEG-R recording performed 1-3 days after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or during normothermia after therapeutic hypothermia. EEG-R was assessed via visual analysis and quantitativeanalysis separately. Clinical outcomes were followed-up at 3-month and dichotomized as recovery of awareness or no recovery of awareness. A total of 96 patients met the inclusion criteria, and 38 (40%) patients recovered awareness at 3-month followed-up. Of 27 patients with EEG-R measured with visual analysis, 22 patients recovered awareness; and of the 69 patients who did not demonstrated EEG-R, 16 patients recovered awareness. The sensitivity and specificity of visually measured EEG-R were 58% and 91%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the quantitativeanalysis was 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.87-0.97), with the best cut-off value of 0.10. EEG-R through quantitativeanalysis might be a good method in predicting the recovery of awareness in patients with post-anoxic coma after CPR. PMID:27181515

The morphology of the vallate papillae from postmortem human samples was investigated with immunohistochemistry. Microscopically, taste buds were present along the inner wall of the papilla, and in some cases in the outer wall as well. The typical taste cell markers PLCβ2, GNAT3 (gustducin) and the T1R3 receptor stain elongated cells in human taste buds consistent with the Type II cells in rodents. In the human tissue, taste bud cells that stain with Type II cell markers, PLCβ2 and GNAT3, also stain with villin antibody. Two typical immunochemical markers for Type III taste cells in rodents, PGP9.5 and SNAP25, fail to stain any taste bud cells in the human postmortem tissue, although these antibodies do stain numerous nerve fibers throughout the specimen. Car4, another Type III cell marker, reacted with only a few taste cells in our samples. Finally, human vallate papillae have a general network of innervation similar to rodents and antibodies directed against SNAP25, PGP9.5, acetylated tubulin and P2X3 all stain free perigemmal nerve endings as well as intragemmal taste fibers. We conclude that with the exception of certain molecular features of Type III cells, human vallate papillae share the structural, morphological, and molecular features observed in rodents. PMID:26400924

We reply to the comment by Kraszewski et al on “Quantitative comparison of analysis methods for spectroscopic optical coherence tomography.” We present additional simulations evaluating the proposed window function. We conclude that our simulations show good qualitative agreement with the results of Kraszewski, in support of their conclusion that SOCT optimization should include window shape, next to choice of window size and analysis algorithm. PMID:25401016

A method was proposed to quantitatively inspect the mixtures of illicit drugs with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy technique. The mass percentages of all components in a mixture can be obtained by linear regression analysis, on the assumption that all components in the mixture and their absorption features be known. For illicit drugs were scarce and expensive, firstly we used common chemicals, Benzophenone, Anthraquinone, Pyridoxine hydrochloride and L-Ascorbic acid in the experiment. Then illicit drugs and a common adulterant, methamphetamine and flour, were selected for our experiment. Experimental results were in significant agreement with actual content, which suggested that it could be an effective method for quantitative identification of illicit drugs.

A better understanding of the physico-chemical principles underlying the formation of calculus has led to a need for more precise information on the chemical composition of stones. A combined qualitative and quantitative procedure for the chemical analysis of urinary calculi which is suitable for routine use is presented. The procedure involves five simple qualitative tests followed by the quantitative determination of calcium, magnesium, inorganic phosphate, and oxalate. These data are used to calculate the composition of the stone in terms of calcium oxalate, apatite, and magnesium ammonium phosphate. Analytical results and derived values for five representative types of calculi are presented. PMID:5551382

Effective treatment and prevention of urolithiasis depends on accurate determination of the chemical nature of the uroliths. A widely used qualitative chemical procedure was compared with quantitative crystallographic analysis of 272 canine uroliths. Agreement between the 2 methods was 78%. Qualitative analysis failed to detect 62% of calcium-containing uroliths and 83% of carbonate apatite uroliths. Qualitative analysis gave false-positive results for urates in 55% of cystine uroliths. Mixed uroliths comprising 6% of the total could not be classified without quantitativeanalysis. Silicate, cystine, and urate uroliths generally were of pure composition. Crystallographic analysis indicated the following distribution of major types: struvite, 69%; calcium oxalate, 10%; urate, 7%; silicate, 3.5%; cystine, 3.2%; calcium phosphate, 1%; and mixed, 6%. Among dogs with struvite uroliths, 66% had positive results of bacterial culturing from the urinary bladder. Six breeds (Miniature Schnauzer, Welsh Corgi, Lhasa Apso, Yorkshire Terrier, Pekingese, and Pug) had a significantly higher risk for urolithiasis, compared with other breeds. The German Shepherd Dog had a significantly lowered risk, compared with other breeds. Two breeds had significant relationship to a specific type of urolith: Miniature Schnauzer for oxalate, and Dalmatian for urate (P less than 0.001). It was concluded that quantitativeanalysis, using crystallography, was superior for the detection of calcium oxalate, carbonate apatite, cystine, urate, and mixed uroliths. PMID:6511641

This review summarizes the advances in environmental analysis by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) during the last decade and discusses different aspects of their application. LC-HRMS has become a powerful tool for simultaneous quantitative and qualitative analysis of organic pollutants, enabling their quantitation and the search for metabolites and transformation products or the detection of unknown compounds. LC-HRMS provides more information than low-resolution (LR) MS for each sample because it can accurately determine the mass of the molecular ion and its fragment ions if it can be used for MS-MS. Another advantage is that the data can be processed using either target analysis, suspect screening, retrospective analysis, or non-target screening. With the growing popularity and acceptance of HRMS analysis, current guidelines for compound confirmation need to be revised for quantitative and qualitative purposes. Furthermore, new commercial software and user-built libraries are required to mine data in an efficient and comprehensive way. The scope of this critical review is not to provide a comprehensive overview of the many studies performed with LC-HRMS in the field of environmental analysis, but to reveal its advantages and limitations using different workflows. PMID:26138893

Aiming at the problem of mixed gas detection in neural network and analysis on the principle of gas detection. Combining BP algorithm of genetic algorithm with hybrid gas sensors, a kind of quantitativeanalysis system of mixed gas is designed. The local minimum of network learning is the main reason which affects the precision of gas analysis. On the basis of the network study to improve the learning algorithms, the analyses and tests for CO, CO2 and HC compounds were tested. The results showed that the above measures effectively improve and enhance the accuracy of the neural network for gas analysis.

The authors tried to find a method for quantitativeanalysis using pXRF without solid bulk stone/jade reference samples. 24 nephrite samples were selected, 17 samples were calibration samples and the other 7 are test samples. All the nephrite samples were analyzed by Proton induced X-ray emission spectroscopy (PIXE) quantitatively. Based on the PIXE results of calibration samples, calibration curves were created for the interested components/elements and used to analyze the test samples quantitatively; then, the qualitative spectrum of all nephrite samples were obtained by pXRF. According to the PIXE results and qualitative spectrum of calibration samples, partial least square method (PLS) was used for quantitativeanalysis of test samples. Finally, the results of test samples obtained by calibration method, PLS method and PIXE were compared to each other. The accuracy of calibration curve method and PLS method was estimated. The result indicates that the PLS method is the alternate method for quantitativeanalysis of stone/jade samples. PMID:25993858

In this project, a highly precise quantitative method based on the digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) technique was developed to determine the weight of pork and chicken in meat products. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is currently used for quantitative molecular analysis of the presence of species-specific DNAs in meat products. However, it is limited in amplification efficiency and relies on standard curves based Ct values, detecting and quantifying low copy number target DNA, as in some complex mixture meat products. By using the dPCR method, we find the relationships between the raw meat weight and DNA weight and between the DNA weight and DNA copy number were both close to linear. This enabled us to establish formulae to calculate the raw meat weight based on the DNA copy number. The accuracy and applicability of this method were tested and verified using samples of pork and chicken powder mixed in known proportions. Quantitativeanalysis indicated that dPCR is highly precise in quantifying pork and chicken in meat products and therefore has the potential to be used in routine analysis by government regulators and quality control departments of commercial food and feed enterprises. PMID:25243184

Metabolic labeling of rodent proteins with ¹⁵N, a heavy stable isotope of nitrogen, provides an efficient way for relative quantitation of differentially expressed proteins. Here we describe a protocol for metabolic labeling of rats with an ¹⁵N-enriched spirulina diet. As a case study, we also demonstrate the application of ¹⁵N-enriched tissue as a common internal standard in quantitativeanalysis of differentially expressed proteins in neurodevelopment in rats at two different time points, postnatal day 1 and 45. We briefly discuss the bioinformatics tools, ProLucid and Census, which can easily be used in a sequential manner to identify and quantitate relative protein levels on a proteomic scale. PMID:23523555

Protein glycosylation plays an important role in various biological processes, such as modification of protein function, regulation of protein-protein interactions, and control of turnover rates of proteins. Moreover, glycans have been considered as potential biomarkers for many mammalian diseases and development of aberrant glycosylation profiles is an important indicator of the pathology of a disease or cancer. Hence, quantitation is an important aspect of a comprehensive glycomics study. Although numerous MS-based quantitation strategies have been developed in the past several decades, some issues affecting sensitivity and accuracy of quantitation still exist, and the development of more effective quantitation strategies is still required. Aminoxy tandem mass tag (aminoxyTMT) reagents are recently commercialized isobaric tags which enable relative quantitation of up to six different glycan samples simultaneously. In this study, liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry conditions have been optimized to achieve reliable LC-MS/MS quantitative glycomic analysis using aminoxyTMT reagents. Samples were resuspended in 0.2 M sodium chloride solution to promote the formation of sodium adduct precursor ions, which leads to higher MS/MS reporter ion yields. This method was first evaluated with glycans from model glycoproteins and pooled human blood serum samples. The observed variation of reporter ion ratios was generally less than 10% relative to the theoretical ratio. Even for the highly complex minor N-glycans, the variation was still below 15%. This strategy was further applied to the glycomic profiling of N-glycans released from blood serum samples of patients with different esophageal diseases. Our results demonstrate the benefits of utilizing aminoxyTMT reagents for reliable quantitation of biological glycomic samples. PMID:27377957

This study addresses two questions: i) which antigens can withstand bleaching by 2.5 g/L of potassium permanganate followed by 10 g/L of oxalate, before immunohistochemical staining; and ii) are any other steps in the immunohistochemical staining technique resistant to bleaching? A panel of 10 antigens was stained immunohistochemically and the results compared with staining performed with a bleaching step interpolated at different steps in the procedures. Four antigens (HMB-45, S-100, factor VIII-related antigen and collagen type IV) were unaffected by bleaching; two antigens (CD-20 and CD-45) had their staining enhanced by bleaching; one had the staining reduced (hsp27); and in three it was abolished (CD-45Ro, CD-31 and Ulex/anti-ulex antibody) by bleaching. Two antibodies (UCHL-1 and L-26) showed evidence for altered specificity following bleaching. None of the steps after application of the primary antibody was resistant to bleaching. Three chromagens used for peroxidase demonstration-amino ethyl-carbazole, diaminobenzidine and chloro-naphthol-were also found to be sensitive to bleaching. While some antigens were resistant to the effects of bleaching, some were not, and no other step in the immunohistochemical procedure could withstand bleaching. PMID:7549602

We have studied, immunohistochemically, hypersensitivity reactions to corticosteroids and compared them with allergic contact dermatitis from nickel and appropriate controls. We could find no qualitative differences between nickel and corticosteroid contact reactions, providing further evidence that hypersensitivity to corticosteroids is an immunologically mediated reaction. PMID:7532558

Secretory otitis media (SOM) is a common childhood disease without a completely clarified etiology. A chronic inflammatory condition in the nasopharynx, presumably caused by an increased bacterial load, is one factor of probable etiological importance. In the present study a flow cytometric method for analysis of adenoid lymphoid cell populations was developed to facilitate quantitative comparisons between children with SOM and children without ear disease. Adenoids removed from 18 children due to adenoid hyperplasia and obstructive symptoms were studied. Results of the flow cytometric analysis correlated well with the findings from immunohistological studies of five of the adenoids. PCA-1 and CD25 were found to be good markers of increased cellular activity after non-specific stimulation in cell culture. It is concluded that the flow cytometric method is suitable for further quantitativeanalysis of adenoid tissue. PMID:8398095